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ALLEN  COUNTY  P^WPiVh  i^^^lll  1 


3  1833  03213  5862 


iGJt:    941.6    UL7iz,     v 

Ul  ?:iter    journal    of 
archaeology 


Allen  County  Public  Library 


Ulster  Journal 


OK 


Archeology 


Volume   V. 


M'CAW,   STEVENSON    .V    ORR,    LIMU'ED 

TIIK    LIXKXIIALL    TRKSS 

i8y9 


Allen  County  Public  Library 

noo  Webster  Street 


lif 


k!>\OF\RGV' 

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4-  ■    iw 


Plan  of  Carrickkergus  ahout   1540. 

{Pholo.  f,oin  original  i„   lirithh  MttSL-um.) 


ULSTER  JOURNAL 

OF 

Archaeology 

Vol.  V.  OCTOBER,   1898.  No.   i. 

ITlnpublisbeb  IDiew  of  (TarricF^fcroue. 

By  WILLIAM  SWANSTON,   f.g.s. 

m    rr"T^  HE    view   of   Carrickfergus  given   as   a   frontispiece  to   this 
^\     3j^i4^    volume    is    of    unusual    interest    to    the    student    of    Irish 


^ 


l-jY,  history  and  archaeology,  representing  as  it  does  the  most 
rC^iT^  i^^^  important  military  town  in  Ulster  in  the  reign  of  Henry 
W^^!^&W^    VIII.,  or  possibly  earlier. 

The  original  drawing  in  the  MS.  department  of  the  British  Museum  is  in 
excellent  preservation,  though  discoloured  by  age.  It  is  an  admirable  example 
of  pen-and-ink  work,  with  light  washes  of  colour,  and  measures  26  by  21  ins. 
The  Museum  Catalogue  number  is  Cott.  MS.,  Aug.  i,  11-42. 

So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  trace,  this  view  has  not  previously  been 
published  in  its  entirety.  A  small  portion  near  the  upper  margin,  representing 
"The  Freres,"  was  given  in  a  volume  of  the  early  issue  of  this  journal,  to 
illustrate  an  admirable  paper  on  "  The  Pallace  of  Carrickfergus."  '"  The  writer 
of  that  paper  assigns  the  date  of  the  original  to  about  1540,  basing  his  opinion 
on  the  fact  that  the  monasteries  in  Ireland  were  suppressed  in  1537.  "The 
Freres  "  was  an  establishment  of  Grey  Friars,  dating  from  the  early  half  of  the 
thirteenth  century.'-'  After  its  suppression,  the  buildings  became  a  government 
store-house,  and  was  referred  to  in  a  later  map  as  "  Late  a  friers'  house,  now  a 
store-house  for  victuals."  We  next  learn  of  it  being  in  the  possession  of  Lord- 
Deputy  Chichester,  who  utterly  demolished  it,  and  in  16 1 8  erected  on  its  site  his 
palatial  residence— Joymount— a  name  still  recognised  in  the  portion  of  street 
adjoining.     This  mansion,  which  was  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  all  who 

(1)  "  The  Pallace  of  Carrickfergus,"  by  W.  Pinkerton.      Vhtcr  J ournal of  Arclufology,  vol.  vii.,  1S55. 

(2)  It  is  recorded  in  The  Irish  Annals:  "  Mccccvin. -This  year  Hugh  Mac  Gihnori  was  slain  at 
Cragfergus,  in  the  Church  of  the  Friars  Minors,  which  he  had  formerly  destroyed  and  broke  the  glass  windows 
for  the^sake  of  the  iron  bars,  which  gave  admittance  to  h>s  enem.es  the  savages  This  death  wasjn 
retaliation  for  a  foul  deed  perpetrated  by,the  sarre  ^  ac  Gilmon  the  P/.'=-'°"^,V^'^;.  -/'«-\'^^^'  ". '^^^ 
recorded  in  the  same  Annals:  "A  P^^hdious  base  Irishman,  called  ( Hugh  Mac  J  Ad.un  .Mac  (nl,^ 
christened,  and  therefore  called  Corbi,  who  had  cau.sed  the  destruction  of  for  y  ^>.>"^^he^'  •'^°'^  P;''">„K^^^^^^^^ 
prisoner,  firced  him  to  pay  2,000  marks  for  ransom,  and  afterwards  killed  both  ^'"1  and  his  bro  he    Richard 

This  Patrick  Savage  is  ei.sewhere  described  as  an  Anglo-Irishman  of  great  influence  in  the  North. 
Doubtless  he  was  de.scended  from  one  of  De  Courcy's/oHowers,  and  related  to  the  Savages  of  the  Ards^  The 
castle  in  the  drawing,  overlooking   the  harbour,  is,  in  a  later  view  of  the  town,  indicated  a.s  that  of  Patrick 

^^'"The   story   of   Corby   Mac   Gilmore   has    been    treated    in    the   most    interesting   manner   in   Sir   Samuel 
.Ferguson's  ^'i°«/a«  Nights  Entertainments,  easily  bearing  the  palm  as  our  best  local  story. 


2  UNPUBLISHED    VIEW    OF    CARRICKFERGUS. 

saw  it,  has  in  its  turn  disappeared,  to  give  place  to  the  less  pretentious  court- 
house and  jail  for  the  county.  Time  again  works  changes  !  and  the  removal 
of  the  County  Assize  to  Belfast  condemned  the  now  empty  jail  to  slow  decay, 
and  within  the  past  year  its  massive  masonry  was  demolished,  while  the  court- 
house has  been  retained  as  staff  quarters  for  the  local  militia.  Such  in  brief 
is  the  changeful  history  of  this  corner  of  "  Kragfargus  Towne."  Of  the 
"  Pallace,"  or  of  Joymount,  nothing  now  remains,  if  we  except  a  few  doubtful 
pieces  of  cut  stone  in  the  rockery,  a  deep  well,  and  the  enclosed  garden  at  the 
rear  of  a  more  modern  Joymount  House. 

It  is  an  easy  and  natural  transition  from  the  departed  Friary  to  the  ancient 
church  of  St.  Nicholas.  Here  the  hand  of  time  has  been  more  gentle,  the 
church  of  the  present  day  retaining  in  its  main  features  much  of  its  original 
character  and  material ;  the  many  vicissitudes  through  which  it  has  passed, 
and  the  necessary  changes  to  fit  it  to  the  requirements  of  modern  ideas,  having 
still  left  us  one  of  the  most  interesting  churches  in  Ulster.  St.  Nicholas's 
appears  to  have  been  anciently  attached  to  the  Franciscan  monastery  already 
noticed,  to  which  it  probably  served  as  an  oratory  or  chapel.'^'  Whether  the 
present  building  occupies  the  site  of  an  earlier  Celtic  church,  as  has  been 
conjectured,  is  uncertain,  and  will  probably  remain  so.  Thomas  Drew, 
H.R.A.,  embodied  in  a  brief  report  on  the  condition  of  the  building  much 
valuable  information,  the  result  of  most  careful  research,  prior  to  the  late 
restoration  of  the  ancient  fabric.''''  Referring  to  its  probable  early  Celtic  foun- 
dation, he  states  :  "  I  have  searched  diligently  in  St.  Nicholas's  for  any  trace 
of  this  distinctive  Celtic  character,  and  failed  to  find  it.  In  the  absence  of 
record  to  the  contrary,  and  with  the  internal  evidence  afforded,  I  am  induced 
to  believe  that  the  present  fabric,  at  least,  is  a  wholly  English  foundation, 
dating  from  a  period  not  earlier  than  the  occupation  of  Carrickfergus,  and  the 
erection  or  occupation  of  the  castle  by  De  Lacy  in  1230.  We  may  presume 
that  the  church  was  begun  at,  or  near,  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century  ; 
and  it  may  be  mentioned  in  support  of  this  theory,  that  my  attention  has 
recently  been  directed  by  one  of  the  most  accomplished  of  archaeologists — 
Mr.  Sharpe — to  the  singular  coincidence,  that  some  of  the  architectural  details 
of  Carrickfergus  have  not,  in  his  wide  experience,  an  exact  parallel,  save  at 
Byland  Abbey,  in  Yorkshire,  built  by  De  Lacj,  invader  of  Ireland." 

There  is  one  feature  in  the  architecture  of  the  church,  as  shown  in  the 
drawing,  that  is  worthy  of  special  note;  that  is,  the  double  roof  covering  the 
nave,  which  is  clearly  shown  by  the  two  gables.  This,  doubtless,  was  replaced 
by  a  single  one  in  one  of  the  necessary  periods  of  "repayre,"  rendered  so 
frequent  by  the  building  being  "  spoyled  and  burned  by  the  rebells." 

(1)  McSkiinmin's  History  of  Carrickfergus. 

(2)  The  Ancient  Church  of  .Saint  Nichol.is,  Carrickfergus,  Diocese  of  Connor.  A  Report  to  the  Right 
Rev.  Robert  Knox,  d.d.,  Lord  Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor  and  Drgmore.  By  Thomas  Drew,  h.r.a., 
F.R.I.A.I.,  Diocfsan  Architect.     Belfast,  1872. 


UNPUBLISHKD    VIEW    OK    CARRICKFEKGUS.  3 

Interesting  as  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  Carrickfergus  undoubtedly  is,  it 
is  overshadowed  by  the  military;  and  the  prominence  given  in  the  drawing  to 
"  Kragfargus  Castell  "  is  significant.  It,  too,  has  had  its  many  "  repayrings," 
but  its  sturdy  walls  have  often  saved  it,  when  burning  and  spoiling  reigned 
without.  In  general  outline,  it  stands  now  as  it  did  when  the  drawing  was 
made  three  and  a  half  centuries  ago.  Its  outer  walls,  following  closely  the 
outline  of  the  projecting  rock  on  which  it  is  built,  being  clearly  those  of  to-day. 
The  keep,  with  its  walls  of  lo  and  12  feet  thickness,  is  represented  apparently 
as  De  Lacy's  or  De  Courcy's  builders  left  it  early  in  the  thirteenth  century. 
It  is  noticeable  that  it  is  roofless.  Whether  or  not  its  early  builders  furnished 
it  with  a  roof,  it  is  impossible  to  state  ;  probably  they^gave  it  one  of  a  temporary 
nature.  Lord  Henry  Sydney,  when  Lord-Deputy  (1567-78),  is  credited  with 
roofing  the  castle  keep.  That  Sydney's  roof  still  covers  the  building  there  is 
little  room  to  doubt,  as  there  is  no  subsequent  reference  to  further  work 
on  it.<^' 

The  two  circular  towers  flanking  the  entrance  are  shown  in  a  ruined  or, 
perhaps,  more  correctly,  unfinished  state.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  roof- 
less buildings  against  the  north  sea-wall,  now  occupied  by  a  series  of  strongly- 
arched  stores,  or  vaults,  supporting  a  battery  and  officers'  quarters.  The 
remaining  internal  buildings  and  walls  have  long  since  been  replaced  by 
modern  barracks,  etc. 

"  Kragfargus  Towne,"  as  shown  in  the  drawing,  is  a  thing  of  the  past, 
with  scarce  a  feature  in  which  it  is  now  recognisable.  The  trench  and  rampart 
protecting  the  town  on  the  land  side,  doubtless  represented  one  of  the  many 
walls  of  "  sodds"  which  proved  so  poor  a  shelter,  and  required  so  much  attention 
to  keep  in  repair.  It  is  not  my  intention  to  enumerate  the  frequent  incursions 
and  scenes  of  bloodshed  to  which  the  sorely-harassed  citizens  were,  through 
several  centuries,  subjected  by  the  "  Rebells  and  Scotts  our  enemies."  The 
site  of  the  entrenchment  given  in  the  drawing  in  some  measure  coincides  with 
that  selected  near  the  close  of  the  century  for  the  more  substantial  stone  wall, 
part  of  which,  with  one  of  its  gates,  still  remains.  The  church  ground  is  also 
enclosed  with  a  rampart  and  ditch  on  the  town  side.  This  enclosure  seems  to 
have  been  respected,  and  is  now  represented  pretty  closely  by  the  graveyard 
surrounding  the  sacred  building  at  the  present  day.     Within  this  enclosure, 

(1)  Referring  to  the  roof,  brings  to  my  recollection  an  inciiient  which  happened  when  I  w^is  a  boy.  My 
father,  who  was  then  master  gunner  of  the  castle,  had  his  curiosity  aroused  by  a  built-up  doorway,  which  he 
had  observed  in  the  wall  of  one  of  the  rooms  in  the  tower.  Consultini  with  the  builder  who  usually  attendrd 
to  repairs  in  the  castle,  they  resolved  to  invfstigate,  and  at  once  set  to  work  to  open  the  secret  ch.imber.  The 
work  had  not  proceeded  very  far,  when  the  entire  door  space  was  forced  by  the  pressure  of  debris  from  behind, 
which  suddenly  burst  into  the  room,  almost  burying  and  overpoweiing  them  with  a  cloud  of  dust.  Examina- 
tion proved  that  the  door  led  to  a  circular  staircase  in  the  angle  of  the  tower,  which  communicated  with  the 
top.  The  stairs,  at  some  time  long  past,  had  evidently  collap-ed.  and  the  pla:e  they  formerly  occupied  had 
beenfiUed  with  the  remains  of  a  former  roof  The  material  was  mostly  small  coarse  slates,  or  more  properly 
slabs,  many  of  which  retained  a  wooden  peg,  by  which  they  had  been  attached  to  the  timberings.  From  recol- 
lection, I  have  now  no  hesitation  in  stating  that  the";e  slates,  or  slabs,  wer^  of  County  l)-nvn  origin,  and  were 
such  as  at  pre-ent  maybe  see.i  on  many  of  the  older  houses  throughout  tliat  ..iiini\'  The  present  roof  is 
formed  of  two  solidly  built  arches  of  stone,  springing  from  the  one  so  adniiiahh  ^h-iMi  -|ia"ning  the  unroofed 
building.  This  very  solid  work  is  worthy  of  Sydney,  and  was  mo.t  probably,  «uh  many  other  substantial 
improvements  to  the  castle  and  town,  e.xecuted  under  his  o'ders.  The  matt- rial  which  blocked  the  dismantle  1 
staircase  may  have  formed  the  outer  covering  of  this  groined  ro  .f ;  but  it  is  p  ssiblc  it  may  have  represented  an 
older  and  lighter  one. 


4  UNPUBLISHKD    VIEW    OF    CARRICKFERGUS. 

close  to  the  entrance  to  the  church,  is  what  appears  to  be  a  monumental  stone, 
surmounting  a  small  calvary.  This  is  possibly  the  base  of  an  ancient  stone 
cross.  Conspicuous  in  the  centre  of  what  is  now  the  High  Street,  is  depicted 
a  perfect  Latin  cross,  also  raised  on  a  calvary  of  three  steps.  No  trace  of  an 
ancient  cross  now  exists  in  Carrickfergus,  and  tradition  is  silent  regarding  any 
such  monument,  though  it  is  figured  in  another  form,  and  named  "  Great 
Patrick"  in  a  map  assigned  to  about  a.d.  1540.'^'  It  is  just  possible  this  cross 
may  have  been  of  wood.  Its  form  would  seem  to  suggest  the  more  perishable 
material,  those  of  stone  throughout  Ireland  being  almost  all  of  the  familiar 
type  now  known  as  Irish  crosses. 

The  imposing  castellated  buildings  shown  throughout  the  "Towne,"  were 
the  residences  of  the  settlers  who  accompanied  De  Courcy,  early  in  the 
thirteenth  century,  in  his  invasion  of  Ulster.  These  castles  are  given,  with 
slight  variations,  in  all  early  maps.  They  must  have  been  substantial  erections, 
and  probably  they  withstood  the  many  attacks  and  burnings  which 
befel  the  town.  They  are  well  represented  in  another  beautiful  map,  signed 
by  one  John  Dunstall,  161 2,  where  the  names  of  the  occupiers  or  founders  are 
written  over  each  of  them.'"' 

The  small  dome  shaped  structures  scattered  irregularly  through  the 
"  Towne"  doubtless  represent  the  rude  dwellings  of  the  "common  people," 
and  are  such  as  are  represented  in  all  Irish  maps  about  this  date,  when  fixed 
abodes  were  the  exception.  It  is  interesting  to  find  that  this  circular  form  of 
building,  though  of  more  durable  material,  survived  in  Carrickfergus  till  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  century.  This  is  well  shown  in  a  copy  of  a  rare 
engraving  in  my  possession,  dating  about  1780. 

I  have  thus  endeavoured  to  review  the  more  permanent  features  of  this 
once  important  stronghold.  There  remains  the  shipping  in  the  harbour, 
which  may  safely  be  taken  to  represent  the  mercantile  marine  of  the  period  — 
possibly  the  craft  with  its  raised  poop,  at  the  pier-head,  formed  part  of  the 
Royal  Navy  The  trees  within  the  church  enclosure,  do  they  merely  represent 
the  artist's  idea  of  such  without  any  attempt  to  define  their  species?  or  is  their 
tall  toy-like  form  meant  to  represent  the  Irish  yew,  as  has  been  suggested, 
which  were  so  much  in  favour  by  the  occupants  of  these  early  religious 
establishments?  I  am  inclined  to  favour  the  latter  view;  the  careful  work 
of  the  artist,  evidenced  throughout  the  drawing,  leading  to  the  opinion  that 
the  close  resemblance  between  them  and  the  tall  form  of  this  tree,  known  as 
the  Irish  yew,  being  not  a  mere  coincidence. 

The  flag  waving  over  the  "  Castell "  gate,  bearing  the  St.  George's  cross, 
denotes  the  English  occupation,  this  being  the  English  flag  prior  to  the  union 
of  that  country  with  Scotland  under  James,  when  in  1607  the  crosses  of 
St.  George  and  St.  Andrew  were  united  in  one  flag — the  first  Union  Jack. 

(1)  McSkimmin's  History  of  Carrickfergus,  2nd  edition,  p.  105. 

(2)  British  Museum  MS.  Dept.,  Coti.  MS.,  Aug.  i,  11-41. 


'"^^s^l'^m^ 


pixbietonc  Sito  near  the  ©nneau  Biiboe,  JSelfast 

By  thk  Rkv.   W.  A.   ADAMS,   i;.a.,  Antrim. 

HE  appearance  of  the  modern  city  of  Belfast  does  not 
suggest  to  us  much  connexion  with  the  remote  past.  The 
l^l'^i,  fort  on  the  summit  of  the  Cave  Hill,  earthwork  and 
r-:'^r\>w  cromlech  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  Lagan 
't>>~c<A£iy  ^%^  valley,  speak  of  a  dim,  prehistoric  time.  The  site  on  which 
the  city  is  built  is  interesting  to  the  student  of  geology  ;  but,  except  some 
remains  of  the  Irish  elk,  for  example,  discovered  during  excavations,  furnishes 
little  of  importance  to  the  archaeologist.  The  work  of  levelling  the  soil, 
necessary  in  laying  out  new  streets,  has  lately  revealed  traces  of  an  early 
settlement  of  the  flint  working  men  on  the  banks  of  the  Lagan,  near  the 
Ormeau  Bridge. 

On  the  evening  before  the  Ulster  Convention  of  1S92,  I  happened  to  find 
in  the  sand  at  the  main  entrance  to  the  Convention  building  a  well-marked 
fiint  flake.  The  sand  was  brought  from  a  spot  aljout  one  hundred  yards  away, 
near  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  adjoining  the  ground  until  lately  used  as  a 
bowling-green.  Judging  from  the  objects  found  here,  this  particular  place 
must  have  been  one  of  the  sites  occupied  by  primitive  man.  These  objects 
complice  some  flint  flakes  and  scrapers,  stone  and  flint  axe.s. 
Flakks. — The  flake  carried  over 
in  the  sand  to  the  Convention  site  is 
3  i<  inches  in  length,  2  inches  broad 
at  the  widest  part,  and  chipped  on 
the  upper  surface  to  ^  inch  in  width 
at  the  bulb  head,  apparently  as  a 
preparation  for  shafting  (fig.  i ). 
Being  somewhat  pointed,  with  sharp 
edges,  it  may  have  been  used  as 
a  knife,  or  perhaps  a  rude  spear- 
head. At  the  place  this  sand  came 
^'°'   '■  from,  and  within  a   few  yards,  nine 

flakes  were  found  in  digging,  usually  from  one  to  two 
feet  beneath  the  surface,  one  much  larger  than  the 
others.  This  flake  measures  sH  inches  long,  i  "s  inches 
broad  at  the  widest  part  near  the  point,  and  shows  neat 
dressing  at  the  bulb  end  (fig.  2). 


PREHISTORIC    SITES    NEAR    THE    ORMEAU    BRIDGE,    BELFAST. 


Scrapers. — This  site,  when  carefully  examined,  yielded  three  hollow 
scrapers  of  almost  transparent  flint,  the  smallest  one  showing  a  fine  serrated 
edge.  Further  up  the  bank,  at  the  bend  of  the  river,  towards  the  Stranmillis 
Road,  while  levelling  operations  were  going  on,  I  picked  up  a  small,  ordinary 
scraper. 

Axes. — On  searching  again  at  the 
place  where  I  found  the  scraper,  I  was 
successful  in  finding  a  small  flake,  also  a 
small  pointed  object  of  flint,  like  a  punch 
or  pick,  and  three  very  rude  chisel-like 
objects,  or  small  axes  of  flint,  roughly 
chipped.  It  is  possible  these  rude  chisels 
may  have  been  employed  as  wedges — say, 
for  splitting  bone.  From  the  site  near  the 
bowling-green,  I  obtained  two  portions 
of  large-sized  polished  stone  axes,  only 
mere  fragments  of  a  few  inches  long,  one 
of  them  being  the  cutting  edge.  S.  A. 
Stewart,  of  the  Belfast  Museum,  considers 
this  fragment  to  be  basalt,  and  the  other 
one  Silurian  grit  or  slate.  My  brother, 
while  searching  a  few  perches  off,  found  a 
perfect  stone  axe  lying  on  the  surface  of 
the  ground,  also  of  the  polished  type. 
It  is  Silurian  slate,  having  the  marks  of  its 
manufacture — the  scratches  caused  by 
rubbing  and  grinding— still  very  distinct. 

The  length  is  7  inches,  and  measures  3^  inches  in  breadth  across  the 
cutting  edge.  It  has  the  peculiar  feature  of  one  side  being  slightly  cut  away 
some  two  inches  of  the  length,  as  if  to  give  the  handle  a  firmer  hold 
(A  -  -  -  B,  fig.  3). 

On  crossing  over  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  from  the  Ormeau  Bridge,  I  observed  a  number  of  workmen  busy  in 
preparing  the  ground  for  new  streets;  and  the  presence  of  some  flint  flakes  in 
the  soil  seemed  to  prove  the  existence  of  another  site  of  the  prehistoric  men. 
I  examined  a  large  part  of  the  surface  soil  and  a  small  portion  of  an  ancient 
beach,  and  discovered  worked  flints  in  each. 

I. — The  Surface  Soil. 

Flakes. — In  this  soil,  within  the  space  of  a  few  perches,  there  was  quite  a 
number  of  flint  flakes.  I  gathered  about  fifty,  varying  in  length  from  ^  inch 
to  3^  inches  ;  and  these,  with  chippings  and  broken  fragments,  indicated  the 
site  of  a  primitive  workshop.     These  flakes  are  generally  of  a  white  or  cream 


PREHISTORIC    SITKS    NKAR     THE    ORMKAU    liRIDGK,     HKLFAST.  7 

colour,  with  an  occasional  reddish  tinge,  having  well-defined  edges.  They 
bear  no  indications  of  weathering  or  being  waterworn,  and  are  more  like  the 
shape  of  the  flakes  from  Toome  Bar  than  those  found  on  the  shores  of  Belfast 
Lough  or  in  the  Lame  gravels. 

Cores. — Associated  with  the  flakes  were  eight  small  cores,  varying  in  size 
from  i^  inches  in  length  to  2^4^  inches.  Numbers  of  flakes  must  have  been 
struck  from  these  ;  and  some  of  the  cores  yet  retain  part  of  the  original  surface 
of  the  flint  nodule. 

Scrapers. — Here  were  also  six  specimens  of  the  ordinary  tyjie  of  scraper 
with  the  rounded  end.  Only  two  of  these  are  well  chipped,  the  other  four 
being  of  rude  workmanship. 

Knife. — One  specimen  of  flint  knife  was  obtained.  It  is  13^2  inches 
long,  with  a  good  cutting  fracture,  and  answering  to  the  description  of 
"left-handed,"  given  by  the  Rev.  George  R.  Buick  in  his  article  on  "The 
Development  of  the  Knife  in  Flint." 

Arrow-head. — In  the  edge  of  a  drain  at  this  particular  place, 
a  few  yards  from  the  river,  and  a  foot  and  a  half  from  the  surface  of 
the  ground,  I  found  a  small  arrow-head.  It  is  of  the  leaf-shaped 
form,  and  fairly  well  made  (fig.  4).  P 

II. — The  Raised  Beach. 

At  the  edge  of  the  river  bank,  just  above  high-water  mark,  there  was 
lately  to  be  seen  a  portion  of  the  ancient  raised  beach  of  the  tidal  river, 
varying  from  6  inches  to  2  feet  in  thickness  here.  It  seemed  a  black  mass 
of  decaying  matter,  with  large  quantities  of  oyster,  mussel,  and  other  smaller 
shells  embedded  in  it.      Here,  again,  primitive  man  had  left  some  traces. 

Flakes. — Eight  flint  flakes,  in  shape  somewhat  like  those  found  in  the 
surface  soil,  were  lying  on  the  surface  of  the  mud  almost  within  arm's  length. 
The  water  at  high  tide  had  undermined  the  old  beach,  and  the  vegetable 
matter  being  gradually  removed,  these  flakes  and  shells  were  left  behind.  Their 
shining,  deep  black  appearance,  coloured  thus  by  the  decaying  matter,  is  a 
peculiar  feature. 

Cores. — With  the  flakes,  three  cores  were  also 
obtained  at  the  same  time,  and  have  this  beautiful  black 
colour.  One  of  these  is  only  i  j'j  inches  in  height,  and 
has  nine  facets. 

Axe.— Perhaps  the  most  interesting  object  was  a 
small  flint  axe,  found  a  few  yards  nearer  the  Bridge,  and 
lying  on  the  edge  of  this  raised  beach.  It  is  oval-shaped, 
of  a  yellowish  brown  colour,  and  unpolished.  It  is 
only  sH  inches  long,  i  >^  inches  broad,  but  slightly 
imperfect  at  each  end  (fig.  5).  Bart  of  the  original 
surface  of  the  flint  block  it  is  manufactured   from  can  be  Vir,    5. 


8 


PREHISTORIC    SITES    NEAR    THE    ORMEAU    BRIDGE,    BELFAST. 


seen  on  one  of  the  faces.  The  seeming  paleohthic  nature  of  the  axe, 
and  the  raised  beach,  with  heavy  masses  of  soil  above  it  in  some  places, 
are  surely  indications  of  a  remote  age. 

Bone. — Lying  alongside  the  flakes  and  cores  of  the  beach  there  was  one 
of  the  foot-bones  of  a  large  deer,  from  two-thirds  to  three-fourths  the  size  of 
the  corresponding  foot-bone  of  the  Irish  elk.  Dr.  Robert  F.  Scharff,  of  the 
Science  and  Art  Museum,  Dublin,  is  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  probably  one  of 
the  foot  bones  of  a  red  deer.  These  black  flakes  and  cores  are  remarkably 
like  those  discovered  in  the  previous  year  by  W.  H.  Patterson,  on  the  shore 
of  Belfast  Lough,  close  to  Sydenham  Station,  and  described  by  him  in  the 
Journal  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Antiquaries,  y>-  154,  vol.  ii.,  Fifth  Series. 

Some  years  ago,  Robert  Day  and  William  Gray  visited  some  of  these 
sites,  when  the  district  near  the  Ormeau  Bridge  was  still  more  or  less  in  fields, 
and  found  some  specimens  of  both  flint  and  stone,  proving  human  workman- 
ship. Since  that  time,  these  places  have  been  much  disturbed,  and  are  now 
rapidly  being  built  over.  The  new  wall  confining  the  course  of  the  Lagan 
runs  through  the  ancient  beach,  and  the  prehistoric  sites  on  the  banks  are 
becoming  better  known  by  such  historic  names  as  Delhi  and  Agra  Streets  on 
the  one  side,  and  Agincourt  Avenue  on  the  other. 


Zbc  IRov^al  1Rc6ibencc  of  IRatbinoic  of  nDo\^^linnc. 

//'////  JVoft'S  on  oilier  Early  EartJiworks  in    Uisier. 
By   Captain    R.    G.    BEI^RV. 

( Co/ilinucii  from  /aj^v  2jj,   vol.   iv.) 

ALARADIA  would  appear  to  have  been  a  Mor  Tuath.  lii 
ancient  times,  when  the  province  of  Uladh  extended  from 
the  Boyne  northward  to  the  northern  seas,  Dalaradia  seems 
to  have  contained  all  the  territory  from  Slieve  Mis  to  Newry. 
It  would  thus  have  included  the  Kingdom  of  Mourne,  the 
Ards,  Magh-lnis,  Dal-mbuinne,  and  Magh  Line.  In  later  times  it  lost  the 
territories  in  County  Down,  but  retained  Moylinne,  which  was  co-extensive 
with  Magh  Line  and  Dal  mbuinne.  Dal-mbuinne,  that  is,  the  portion  of 
Buinn,  the  son  of  Fergus  Mac  Roy,  became  divided  up  into  Kilultagh,  or 
the  Wood  of  Ulster,  and  Kilwarlin  and  a  new  territory  sprang  up  called 
Clandermod,  or  the  portion  of  Dermod,  who  is  thus  described  by  Bishop 
Reeves  : 

"  Eochaidh,  son  of  Fiachna,  had  twelve  sons  by  his  principal  wives,  and  Iwelve  sons  by 
his  concubines.  One  of  these  was  Dunchadh,  son  of  Eochaidh,  from  whom  are  the  Claim 
Dermod  mac  Dunehadh  mic  Eochaidh  mic  Fiachna." 

Later  on,  these  three  became  Clan-aodh-boy,  the  territory  of  the  children 
of  Yellow  Hugh  O'Neill,  and  this  name  was  contracted  to  Clannaboy.'" 

Dalaradia  derives  its  name  from  "  Fiacha  Araidhe,  a  King  of  Ulster,  who 
reigned  ten  years  in  Emania,  and  flourished  a.d.  236."  But  it  seems  to  have 
been  occupied  in  very  early  times  ;  for  we  read  of  the  Clanna  Rudhraighe, 
or  clans  of  Rury :  "  Here's  the  old  story  of  the  seed  of  Ir  throughout 
Ireland:  Ir  was  Milesius'  eighth  son,  who,  when  M.'s  sons  all  were  come  to 
Ireland,  died  and  then  was  buried  on  .Sceilg  Mhor,  the  great  Skellig  :  from  him 
springs  one-third  of  Ireland's  royal  race.  Now  Ir  had  one  son,  Heber,  and 
of  all  the  Scoti  he  first  occupied  Magh  Line  and  possessed  a  fifth  part  of 

Ireland."  *-' 

Another  name  by  which  this  territory  was  occasionally  known  was 
"Country  of  the  Cruithne "  or  "  Picts."  Thus  the  Book  of  Lecan  states: 
"The  children  of  Conall  Cearnach,  i.e.,  the  Dalaraidhe,  from  Carrick  Inver 
Uisge  (the  rock  at  the  mouth  of  the  water— probably  Inver,  beside  Larne— 

(1)  Another  name  for  Dalaradia  was  Trian  Congaill,  orCongairs  portion,  supposed  to  have  been  bor.ow.d 
from  Congal  Claen. 

(2)  Siiva  Gadellca. 


16  THE    ROYAL    RESIDENCE    OF    RATHMORE    OF    I\IOY-LINNE. 

Mac  Firbis  calls  it  Carrick  Uisge)  to  Linn  Uachaill.  Cruithne  is  another 
name  for  them." 

The  Book  of  Leant  further  observes  that  "  they  were  so  called  from  Irial 
(jlonmor,  the  son  of  Conall  Cearnach,  whose  mother,  Lorceta,  daughter  of 
Eochaidh  Echbeoil,  of  the  Cruithnigh  of  Alba.  Dalaraidhe,  then,  are  the 
Cruithne  of  Erin." 

St  Comgall,  the  founder  of  Bangor,  and  Aldus,  King  of  Dalaradia,  are 
said  by  Adamnan  to  have  been  Picts,  of  Dalaradia. 

In  A.D.  1 60  a  great  battle  was  fought  in  this  territory.  Tigernach  tells  us 
that  "  Tuathal  Teachtmar  [the  acceptable]  was  slain  by  Mai  Mac  Rochraidhe, 
King  of  Ulster,  at  Linn-an-gabunn,  in  Dalaradia."  The  Four  Masters  date 
this  battle  a.d.  106,  and  inform  us  that  "After  Tuathal  Teachtmar  had  been 
thirty  years  in  the  government  of  Ireland,  he  fell  by  Mai  Mac  Rochraide,  King 
of  Ulster,  in  Moylinny,  at  Moin-in-chatha  [l)og  of  the  battle],  in  Dal  Aradia, 
at  the  place  whence  spring  the  OUar  and  Ollarba,  the  two  rivers.  Ceann- 
gubba  [hill  of  grief]  is  the  name  of  the  hill  on  which  he  was  killed,  as  the 
verse  proves  : 

"Ollar  and  Ollarba, 
Ceann-gubha,  lordly,  noble, 
They  were  not  names  without  a  cause, 
The  day  on  which  Tuathal  was  slain. " 

And  as  was  also  said  : 

"Tuathal,  from  whom  the  tribes  of  our  lords 
The  chiefs  of  Meath,  heroes  of  valour. 
Was  wounded — that  chief  of  fair  Frewin, 
In  the  field  of  the  hill  of  Glenn-an-C'.abhann." 

And  in  Silva  Gaihuica  we  find  that  "Tuathal  fell  by  the  hand  of  Mai,  son 
of  Rochraide,  at  Moin  in  chatha,  or  the  battle  moor,  he  having  just  completed 
one  hundred  and  ten  years,  thirty  of  which  he  had  passed  in  supreme  rule  over 
Ireland." 

This  was  the  king  who  inflicted  the  Boromean  tribute  on  Leinster  as  an 
eric  for  his  daughters  slain.  He  is  also  said  to  have  "broke"  five  and  twenty 
battles  against  Ulster. 

This  ground  was  again  contested,  according  to  the  Four  Masters,  in  the 
year  285  : 

"  Fothadh  Airgtheach  was  afterwards  slain  by  Caoilte,  at  the  battle  of 
011arl)a  in  Line."  This  was  Caelte  mac  Ronain,  the  foster  son  and  favourite 
of  the  celebrated  Irish  general,  Fion  Mac  Cumhail. 

With  this  agrees  the  statement  in  the  Book  of  Conquests : 

"The  Fothadhs,  i.e.,  Fothadh  Airgtheach  and  Fothadh  Cairpthcach,  the  two  sons  of 
Lughdeach,  son  of  Macniadh,  assumed  the  monarchy  during  one  year,  and  their  reign  was 
not  happy.  P'othadh  Cairptheach  fell  by  Fothadh  Airgtheach,  and  Fothadh  Airgtheach  fell 
by  Cavitte,  in  the  battle  of  Ollarba  in  Line." 


THE    ROVAL    RKSIDENCE    OF    KATHMORE    OF    MOV-LINNK.  11 

The  particulars  of  the  death  and  sepukure  of  Fothadh  are  relatetl  in  the 
following  extract  from  the  Leabbar-nah-Uidhre,  as  cited  and  translated  in 
George  Petrie's  Round   Toivers  of  Ireland  : 

"'We  are  with  thee,  O  Finn,'  said  the  youth.  '  Hush,' said  M.,iiL,'nn,'"  'thai  is  nd 
good  [fair].  We  were  with  Finn  once,' said  he  ;  'we  went  li-om  Alha  |icsli  Ahnaiii].  We 
fought  against  Fothadh  Airgthech  heie  with  thee  at  (Jllarha.  We  fouglu  a  iiattle  here.  I  made 
a  shot  at  him,  and  drove  my  sjiear  through  him,  so  that  the  spear  entered  the  earth  at  the 
other  side  of  him,  and  its  iron  head  was  left  buried  in  the  earth.  This  is  the  very  handle  that 
was  in  tliat  spear.  The  round  stone  from  which  I  made  that  sliot  will  be  found,  and  east  of 
it  will  he  found  the  iron  head  of  the  spear  buried  in  the  earth;  and  the  corse  of  Fothadh 
Airgthech  will  be  found  a  shot  distance  to  the  east  of  it.  There  is  a  chest  of  stone  about  him 
in  the  earth.  There  are  his  two  rings  of  silver,  and  his  two  bunne  doat  [bracelets  ?]  and  his 
torque  of  silver  on  his  chest  ;  and  there  is  a  pillar  stone  at  his  cam  ;  and  an  Ogumis  [inscribed] 
on  the  end  of  the  pillar  stone  which  is  in  the  earth.     x\nd  what  is  in  it  is, 

EOCHAID    AIRCnilECII    IIKRK. 
It  was  Cailte  that  was  here  along  with  Finn.'     All  these  things  were  searched  for  by  the  youth 
who  had  arrived,  and  they  were  found." 

'I'his  battle  finally  extinguished  the  Fiantia,  and  those  that  remained  were 
dispersed  throughout  Ireland. 

This  place  having  been  identified,  it  will  be  of  interest  to  (juote  the 
description  of  it  given  by  Bishop  Reeves  : 

"  The  Lame  River  rises  by  two  heads  in  Ballybracken  Moss,  in  the  parish  of  Ballynure. 
The  Six  Mile  Water  rises  in  a  spring  in  Ballyboley  Park  Moss,  in  the  parish  of  Ballycor,  a 
little  S.W.  of  Shane's  Hill  :    after  a  course  of  about  lOO  perches,  it  becomes  the  boundary 

between  that  parish  and  Kilvvaughter Following  the  direction  of  a  ravine  which 

runs  down  the  face  of  the  hill,  it  arrives  at  the  tovvnland  of  Headwood In  this 

townland     ....     is  a  large  bog,  probably  the  Moin-an-catha  of  a  preceding  passage, 

which  lies  between  the   two   rivers On  the  face  of  Ballyboley   Hill,  about  a 

quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  west,  is  a  place  called  Carndoo,  and  here,  under  the  brow  of  the  hill, 
is  a  pile  locally  called  The  Abbey.  It  consists  of  several  huge  stones,  ranged  in  an  irregular 
circle,  the  space  within  being  chiefly  occupied  by  six  large  upright  stones,  disposed  in  pairs,  and 
supporting  two  blocks,  about  five  feet  long,  and  from  two  to  three  feet  square,  laid  horizontally 

upon  them For  two  miles  along  the  face  of  the  hill  which  passes  the  western 

boundary  of  the  valley  of  the  Six  Mile  Water,  is  a  series  of  foundations  of  inclo.sures,  called 
by  the  people  Boley  houses.  They  are  for  the  most  part  quadrangular,  and  look  like  ancient 
foundations  of  small  cabins,  with  paddocks  aitacheil  to  them.  Tradition  says  that  they  were 
employed  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  valley  when,  in  summer,  they  drove  up  their  cattle  to 
pasturage  on  the  heights." 

Ceaiin-gubha,  i.e.,  "Head,  or  Hill  of  Grief"  This  is  doubtless  lially- 
boley  Hill,  and  Tuathal's  monument  is  the  pile  at  Carndoo  above  described. 

Gleann-an-ghabhann,  i.e.,  "The  Valley  of  the  Smith."  This  was  pri)bably 
the  name  of  that  part  of  the  valley  of  the  Six  Mile  Water  nearest  to  IJallyboley 
Hill.'-' 

Dr.  Reeves  considers  the  Ollar  to  have  been  the  Six  Mile  Water,  and  the 
Ollarba  to  have  been  the  Lame  River,  and  O'Donovan  agrees  with  him  ;  but 
Sir  Samuel  Ferguson  thinks  it  ought  to  be  the  other  way  about. 

■1)   Another  name  for  Finn.  (2)  O'Donovan. 


12  THE    ROYAL    RESIDENCE    OF    RATHMORE    OF    MOV-LINNE. 

Fifty  years  before  this  last  battle,  the  Picts  of  Ireland  and  Fiachna  Araidhe, 
who  subsequently  gave  his  name  to  the  country  of  the  former,  fought  a  great 
battle  against  the  King  of  Ireland,  and  got  defeated.  Tigernach  gives  the  date 
as  A  D.  236.  How  soon  after  this  date  the  name  of  Dalaradia  came  to  be 
applied  to  the  country  of  the  Cruithne  or  Picts,  it  is  impossible  to  say.  In  the 
Annals^  a  long  line  of  chieftains  are  given  who  are  all  called  Kings  of  Dalaradia. 
The  first  of  these  is  mentioned  by  the  Four  Masters  thus:  "a.d.  388 — 
Milchuo,  son  of  Hua  Buain,  King  of  North  Dalaradia." 

At  this  time  Dalaradia  seems  to  have  been  divided  into  two  kingdoms — 
North  and  South  Dalaradia.  The  above  is  the  only  mention  we  have  of  these 
two  kingdoms,  as  all  the  rest  of  the  chiefs  are  called  Kings  of  Dalaradia  ;  and 
in  the  Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick,  Milchu  is  spoken  of  as  "  Princeps 
Dalaradiac." 

Perhaps  the  change  of  the  name  of  the  territory  from  the  Country  of  the 
Cruithne  to  that  of  Dalaradia  did  not  take  place  peaceably,  and  the  posterity 
of  Araidhe  had  probably  to  drive  the  children  of  Conall  Cearnach  northward  : 
not  an  easy  task,  considering  how  powerfully  they  were  connected,  and  the 
warlike  traditions  of  their  race.  Conall  Cearnach  was  one  of  the  great 
warriors  of  the  Ultonian  cycle,  and  his  third  wife  was  the  daughter  of  another — 
"  Maina  filia  Keltcharii."  '^'  But  that  his  posterity  were  dispersed  is  amply 
proved  by  the  following  entry  :  "  The  clans  of  Conall  cernach  are  the  Dalar- 
adians,  the  ///  Echach  tilad,  the  Conaille  of  Murthemny,  and  'the  seven 
Soghans'"  (L  L.  331  :  3).'-'  So  possibly  Milchu  may  have  been  chief  of  the 
children  of  Conall  Cearnach,  or  at  least  of  that  branch  which  had  migrated 
northward.  Anyhow,  his  aversion  to  Christianity  is  remarkably  like  that  of 
the  later  Ultonians  at  the  period  of  the  Battle  of  Moira. 

St.  Patrick  was  a  war  captive,  and  lived  with  Milchu  as  his  base  Fudir. 
While  in  this  capacity  he  herded  Milchu's  flocks  on  Slieve  Mis,  and  it  was  there 
he  saw  the  vision  which  prompted  him  to  effect  his  escape.  When  he  returned 
as  Apostle  of  Ireland,  he  attempted  to  visit  Milchu  to  pay  his  ramson  ;  but 
Milchu  was  too  proud  to  receive  it,  or  to  have  any  dealings  with  his  old  slave ; 
and  knowing  that  he  could  affect  him  no  harm,  as  St.  Patrick  had  Ulster  at 
his  back,  he  made  a  pyre  of  his  fort  and  belongings,  and  laying  himself  on  top, 
gave  the  saints  the  spectacle  of  his  suicidal  cremation. 

Whoever  occupied  Rathmore  at  this  time  we  do  not  know  ;  but  Milchu  did 
not.  "The  site  of  Milchu's  house,  or  homestead,  is  not  marked  either  by 
local  designation  or  by  tradition.  It  was  suggested  by  Canon  Grainger — and 
in  this  I  [Very  Rev.  Abraham  Douson,  a.m..  Dean  of  Dromore]  entirely 
concurred — that  the  Rock  of  Skerry,  from  its  position  dominating  the  whole 
valley,   easily  accessible  in   one   direction,   and  at  the  same  time  a  place  of 

(1)  Ogygia.  (-2)  Sih-a  Gadcllca. 


THE    ROYAL    RESIDENCH:    OF    KATHMORE    OF    MOV-I.INNE. 


13 


Strength  and  most  capable  of  defence,  may  have  been  Milchu's  stronghold  ; 
and  if  so,  it  might  well  have  been  the  scene  of  the  cremation  of  Milchu  and 
his  household,  which  St.  Patrick  witnessed  from  the  Cross  Hill."'" 

An  interesting  description  of  this  place  is  given  in  "  The  Colloquy  of  the 
Ancients."'-'  St.  Patrick  in  his  journey  round  Ireland  with  Cailte  Mac  Ronan, 
one  of  the  last  survivors  of  the   Finna,  having  arrived  in  Ualaradia — 

"Then  they  proceeded  eastwardly  to  i:^!enn  an  srai//,  or  'glen  of  the  champion,'  which 
at  the  present  is  called  nininter  Dhiurhra:  (the  |ilace  where  to  MUchii  mac  u-Buain,  Kini^ 
of  Dalaradia,  Patrick  once  had  been  in  bondage),  and  they  see  before  them  a  flourishing 
church  in  which  were  thirty  young  ecclesiastics  that  fervently  glorified  the  Creator.  Upon 
looking  away  in  the  other  direction  they  perceive  again  a  church,  having  beside  it  a  fair  green 
close,  and  :  '  to  the  King  of  Heaven  and  of  Earth  we  give  thanks  for  it,'  said  Caeilte  :  an 
habitation  of  [profane]  crowds  and  of  [armed]  throng  this  hath  been,  yet  it  is  now  a  jilace  of 
saints  and  of  righteous  !  Patrick  enquired  :  '  which  of  the  Finna  were  in  yon  town?'  '  In 
the  one  was  Raighne  Wide-eye,  son  of  Finri,  and  his  son  Cainche  the  crimson  red  in  the 
other ;  but  the  clan  Morna  slew  Raighne  Mac  Finn,  from  whom  is  Mai;h  Rai^^hni  or 
"  Raighne's  plain,"  and  the  other  son  as  well  :  from  whom  is  sliabh  Chainclie  or  Chainche's 
Mount.' 

"  It  was  but  a  short  time  they  had  been  there  till  they  saw  towards  them  a  gentle  maid 
of  pubescent  age  and  with  flowing  yellow  hair.  Among  them  she  sat  down  up;)n  the  sodded 
mound,  and:  'who  art  thou,  girl?'  asked  Patrick.  'I  am  Edain  Fair-hair,  daughter  of 
Baedan,  king  of  Dalaradia.'  '  And  wherefore  art  thou  come?'  pursued  the  Saint.  '  In  order 
to  dedicate  to  thee  our  kin  both  (ptick  and  dead  ;  for  of  my  seed  [z.c. ,  race]  lives  none  now 
but  myself  and  my  own  brother.'  With  that  she  thrust  her  hand  between  herself  and  her 
smock  and  produced  fifty  ingots  of  gold  with  as  many  of  silver  (in  which  were  fifty  ounces  of 
each  metal),  and  to  Patrick  gave  the  whole  as  a  sn-epall  soiscela,  i.e.,  seripalum  evangelii  or 
gospel  penny,  then  made  genuflection  to  him.  '  What  name  bearest  thy  brother?'  he  asked. 
'  Loingsech  mac  Baedan,'  she  answered.  '  Ireland's  royal  rule  I  grant  him,'  Patrick  said, 
'and  three  of  his  seed  to  reign  after  him.'  'All  that  ever  we  shall  possess  of  Ireland 
we  assign  to  thee,  holy  Cleric.'  Then  she  bade  them  farewell,  Init  they  continued  on 
the  tulach." 

While  speaking  of  Finn  and  the  Fianna,  we  may  as  well  mention  that  Finn 
married  two  of  Cormac  Mac  Art's  daughters,  namely,  Aillbhe  ghruaidbhree  and 
Grainne.  Besides  these  he  had  three  other  wives.'"  After  Finn's  death 
Grainne  married  Dermot,  and  when  she  died  she  was  buried,  and  a  cam 
constructed  over  her,  called  Grania's  carti,  now  moderni/.ed  to  Carngrany,  in 
Craigarogan,  in  the  parish  of  Templepatrick.  The  monument  still  exists,  and 
is  situated  in  a  field  about  40  yards  north  of  the  Rough  Fort.'" 

In  the  parish  of  Killead  there  is  a  grange  called  Carnmavy,  evidently 
Carnmeave,  and,  about  two  miles  to  the  east  of  Glenavy,  there  is  a  fort  or  rath 
of  the  mound  type,  called  Miss  Durham's  fort,  from  the  owner  of  the  farm  on 
which  it  stands.  In  an  old  song  called  "  Glenavy  dear,"  this  fort  is  spoken  of 
as  Ingram's  Mount— Ingram  being  then  the  occupier  of  the  farm.  The  fort 
stands  in  the  townland  of  Ballinacoy,  but  the  next  townland,  which  is  not  far 

(1)  Ulster  J  aiirnal  of  Arclupology,  vol.  iii.,  p.  113- 

(2)  Contained  in  Silva  Gadelica. 

(3)  Sih-a  Gadelica. 

(4)  It  will  be  fully  described  in  a  future  number  of  the  journal.— Ed. 


t4  THE    ROYAL    RKSIDKNCE    OF    RATHMORR    OF    MOY-LINNE. 

off,  is  called  Ballypitmave  [recte  Bally-na-meave  ?].  It  was  certainly  somewhere 
in  this  country  that  the  Rath  Meave  mentioned  below  was  situated  ;  but  shall 
we  assign  it  to  some  rath  that  formerly  stood  in  Carnmavy,  or  to  the  rath  near 
Glenavy?  The  Glenavy  rath  is  a  very  fine  one,  the  mount  being  about 
25  feet  high,  and  it  is  surrounded  by  two  ditches.  The  inner  ditch  is  a 
water-ditch,  14  feet  deep  to  the  water,  and  20  feet  wide  all  round,  except  at 
the  southern  end,  where  it  widens  to  about  40  feet.  At  this  part,  12  feet  from 
the  mound,  is  a  curious  lunette-shaped  work,  12  feet  broad  at  top  and  60  feet 
long  on  the  curve.  The  other  ditch  is  partly  destroyed,  but  what  remains  of 
it  is  about  10  feet  deep  by  15  feet  wide. 

The  extract  here  given  is  contained  in  Silva  Gadelica,  and  is  from  "  The 
Colloquy  of  the  Ancients,''  a  document  in  which  Cailte  Mac  Ronan,  a  survivor 
of  the  Fianna,  meets  St  Patrick,  who  treats  him  with  kindness.  Cailte  accom- 
panies St  Patrick  in  a  tour  round  Ireland,  and  tells  him  the  Fiann-lore  of  the 
places  they  see.     The  extract  is  as  follows  : 

"After  this  the  whole  company,  Patrick  with  them,  moved  on  the  rath  Mhedhba,  or 
'  Meave's  Rath,'  and  :  '  Cailte,'  said  the  Saint,  'who  was  the  Meave  from  whom  this  rath  was 
denominated?'  'She  was  Eochaiil feidhlccVs  daughter  Meave.'  'Was  this  it  that  served 
her  as  a  principal  residence?'  '  By  no  means  was  it  so  ;  but  hither  on  the  high  festival  day 
oi  sainhain  she  would  resort  to  confer  with  her  magicians  and  her  poets  in  order  to  learn  that 
which  during  the  coming  year  should  turn  out  either  well  or  ill  for  her  ;  and  the  manner  of  her 
coming  wis  in  chariots  by  nines,  as  :  nine  in  front  of  her,  nine  behind,  and  on  either  side  of 
her  nine.'  Patrick  said  :  '  for  what  purpose  did  she  that?'  '  To  the  end  neither  miry  spat- 
tering of  the  way  nor  froth  from  the  horses  should  reach  her,  nor  her  fresh  clean  vesture  be 
defiled.'     'This  is  material  for  merriment,'  said  the  Saint." 

A.I).  478 — "  Fiachna  Lonn,  King  of  Dalaradia,  distinguished  himself  at  the 
battle  of  Ocha,  and  received  the  territories  of  Lee  and  Cairlocgh  as  a  reward" 
(Four  Masters). 

This  king  had  a  son,  who  is  the  subject  of  many  curious  tales,  the  most 
curious  of  which  is  the  account  of  his  birth. 

Fiachna  went  with  his  hosting  to  aid  Aedan,  King  of  Scotland,  against  the 
Savons,  and  left  his  queen  at  home  at  his  stronghold,  Rathmore.  Mannan 
Mac  l.ir,  the  Irish  sea-god,  appeared,  and  revealing  her  husband's  danger  to 
her,  offered  to  go  to  his  aid  against  a  great  Saxon  warrior  who  was  to  face  him, 
provided  certain  conditions  were  fulfilled.  The  queen  conceived  a  son  by 
Mannan  Mac  I.ir. 

"When  army  was  drawn  up  against  army,  the  hosts  saw  something  — a 
noble  looking  man  before  the  army  of  Aedan  and  Fiachna.  He  went  towards 
Fiachna  in  particular  and  told  him  the  conversation  with  his  wife  the  day 
before,  and  that  he  had  promised  to  come  to  his  help  at  that  hour.  Thereupon 
he  went  before  the  army  towards  the  other,  and  vanquished  the  soldier.  And 
the  battle  was  routed  before  Aedan  and  Fiachna."'^' 

(1)  The  Voyage  0/ Bran,  by  Kuno  Meyer. 


THE    ROYAL    RESIDENCE    OF    RATHMORE    OF    MOV-LINNE.  i  c^ 

This  Mongan  is  a  son  of  Mannan  Mac  Lir,  though  he  is  called  Mongan,  son 
of  Fiachna. 

In  another  tale  Mongan  appears  as  a  re-juvenation  of  l<"inn  Mac  Cumhal, 
while  in  others  he  performs  most  wonderful  works  of  magic. 

Connor'^*  was  founded  during  the  latter  half  of  the  fifth  century  l)y  /l>:ngus 
Mac  Nisse,  who  became  its  tirst  bishop  and  abbot.  He  died  on  the  third 
September,  514,  and  under  this  day  of  the  month  his  festival  is  placed  in  the 
Martyrology  of  ^-Engus  the  Culdee  : 

"  Mac  Nisse  with  thousands 
From  the  great  Condere." 

His  death  is  noticed  in  the  Annals  of  Tigemach,  as  follows  : 

"514,  Kal.  iiii.,  Mac  Nissi,  i.e.,  /En^us,  Bishop  of  Connor,  rested;  whose  father  was 
called  Fobraech  ;  whose  mother  Cness  was  daughter  of  Comchaide  of  the  Dal  Ceteren, 
from  whom  he  was  named  Mac  Cneisse." 

Mac  Nisse  was  buried  in  Connor.'^' 

A.D.  557— The  battle  of  Moina-doire-lothair  between  the  Cruithne  and 
the  Northern  Hy  Niall,  wherein  Aodh  Breac  and  seven  lords  of  the  Cruithne 
fell;  after  which  Lee  and  Carn  Eolorg  were  laid  waste  by  the  Hy  Niall. 

A.D.  558 — Aodh  Dubh,  son  of  Suibhne,  King  of  Dalaraidhe.  He 
subsequently  reigned  seven  years  over  Uladh,  and  was  slain  by  Fiachna,  son 
of  Bardan,  a.d.  592. 

This  king  went  through  some  extraordinary  adventures,  and  is  famous  in 
Irish  annals  as  the  slayer  of  Dermot  MacCarroU,  King  of  Ireland.  The 
occurrences  are  thus  related  in  the  Annals  of  Tigemach  and  by  the  Four 
Masters: 

A.D.  565 — "  Dermot  Mac  Cearbhall  was  slain  at  Rath-bich  in  Moylinne  by  Hugh 
Dubh,  son  of  Suibhne  Araidhe,  King  of  Uladh." 

A.D.  558 — "  Dermot  son  of  Fergus  cerrbhil  having  ruled  Ireland  for  twenty  years,  at 
Rathbeg  in  magh  Line  he  fell  at  the  hands  of  Black  Aedh,  son  of  Suibhne,  King  of  Dalaradia. 
His  head  was  carried  to  Clonniacnoise  and  there  buried  ;  his  body  was  lain  in  Connor." 

The  cause  of  his  slaying  Dermot  is  well  told  in  the  following  tale  from 
Silva  Gadelica: 

"  Cerbhall's  son  Dermot  was  once  upon  a  time  [at  Tara],  and  the  official  panegyrists 
lauded  the  king,  his  peace,  and  all  his  excellent  ways. 

"  Black  Aedh,  son  of  Araidhe,  was  there  in  front  of  Beg  mac  De  (seer  and  prophet  to 
Dermot  ard-ree),  (now  Dermot  it  was  that  had  slain  Araidhe  of  Ulster,  but  had  taken  to 
bring  up  his  son  Black  Aedh).  Beg  dixit  :  '  I  see  the  vailant  wolf-dog  that  shall  spoil  the 
brilliant  mansion.'  '  Beg,' said  Aedh,  'what  hound  •■"is  that?'  'It  might  chance  to  be 
thyself.'  'Why  how  should  that  be?'  asked  Dermot.  '  Easily  enough  :  this  hand  of  Black 
Aedh's  it  is  that  in  the  house   of  Banbhan   and  of  Bainbhsech  [his  wife]  shall   to  thy  lips 

(1)  The  Martyrology  o/^ngus  gives  the  meaning  of  the  name  as  r)..i.e-na-con  ;  i.e.,  "  ihe  oak  wood  in 
which  were  wild  dogs  formerly,  and  she-wolves  used  lo  dwell  therein." 

(2)  In  the  verses  of  the  Cennfaoladh  cited  by  the  Four  Masters,  this  place  is  called  Moin-nior  Doire 
Lothair.  Both  names  are  still  prest;ived  in  the  town  Moneymore,  and  the  parish  of  Derryloran,  which  is  an 
adjacent  parish. 

(3)  Hound  means  a  valiant  warrior.  Thus  Ciichulli^n  was  spoken  of  as  the  "Hound  of  Ulster";  and 
by  this  term  the  king  of  the  province  is  ■"''  '' 


l6  THE    ROYAL    RESIDENCE    OF    RATHMORE    OF    MOY-LINNE 

administer  a  poisonous  draught,  there  being  about  thee  at  the  same  time  a  shirt  woven  of 
flax  grown  from  one  seed,  and  a  mantle  of  a  single  sheep's  wool  :  in  thy  horn,  ale  brewed 
from  one  grain  of  corn  ;  and  on  thy  dish,  bacon  of  a  pig  that  never  was  farrowed.'  Dermot 
said,  '  so  long  as  I  am  alive  he  [Black  Aedh]  shall  not  be  in  Ireland.'  All  cried  out,  '  kill 
him!'  '  Nay,'  said  Dermot,  '  but  he  shall  be  expelled  out  of  Ireland.'  So  Black  Aedh  is 
banished  into  the  land  of  Scotland. 

"  Dermot  [making  a  circuit  of  Ireland  and  having  arrived  in  Ulster]  was  one  day  that 
he  saw  a  warrior  enter  into  the  house 'i*  to  him.  'Whence  art  thou  come?'  he  asked. 
'  Not  from  any  great  distance '  [the  new-comer  answered],  '  come  that  thou  mayest  pass  a 
night  with  me  as  my  guest.'  '  Good,'  quoth  Dermot,  '  say  so  much  to  Mughain.'*^'  He 
replied,  'so  long  as  I  am  alive  upon  no  invitation  go  I.'  For  all  that  they  [the  rest  of  them] 
accompanied  Banbhan  [for  he  it  was]  to  Rath  Bhig,  in  which  (after  they  were  set  down)  they 
saw  on  the  floor  of  the  house  apart  a  gentle  and  beautiful  young  woman  [charged]  with  a 
bundle  of  excellent  apparel.  '  Whence  the  woman  ? '  inquired  Dermot.  '  A  daughter  to 
me  she  is,'  said  Banbhan:  'good  now,  woman,'  he  went  unto  his  daughter,  '  hast  thou  there 
raiment  for  Dermot  ?  '  'I  have  so,'  replied  the  woman  ;  and  out  of  the  bag  that  she  had 
drew  a  shirt,  with  a  mantle,  which  he  takes  about  him  [i.e.,  puts  on].  ' 'Tis  a  good  shirt,' 
said  all.  '  A  good  shirt  it  is,  of  one  grain  of  flax-seed,'  said  Banbhan  :  '  a  fanciful  daughter 
of  ours  is  yonder  damsel,  and  she  it  was  that  procured  to  set  a  single  flax-seed  of  which  she 
made  a  stripe,  and  so  on  until  eventually  her  sowing  became  a  ridge.'  '  'Tis  a  good  mantle,' 
said  all.  '  It  is  good,'  Banbhan  answered,  'and  of  one  sheep's  wool  it  was  made.'  After  this 
meat  and  liquor  were  given  them.  "Tis  good  bacon,'  said  all.  'Good  it  is,'  returned 
Banbhan,  '  being  as  it  is  of  the  bacon  of  a  porker  that  never  was  farrowed.'  '  How  so?'  they 
asked.  '  Soon  said,'  he  answered  :  '  certain  swine  that  were  with  pig  and  they  took  knives 
to  them,  so  that  the  piglings  (and  they  alive)  were  extracted  out  of  them  and  then  fattened.' 
'Good  ale,'  said  all.  '  Good  it  is,'  said  Banbhan,  though  it  be  but  a  sample  of  ale  from  a 
single  grain  of  wheat  [as  thus] :  of  a  day  that  I  went  out  to  inspect  the  ploughing  I  killed  a 
wood-pigeon,  and  in  his  crop  was  found  a  grain,  what  corn  [it  was]  was  unknown  ;  it  was 
committed  to  a  ridge,  and  from  it  in  due  course  there  sprang  a  sickleful,  so  that  this  is  its 
grain  and  this  its  ale  here.' 

"Dermot  looked  up  after  that:  'the  lower  part  of  this  house  is  new,'  said  he,  'but  its 
upper  part  is  not  fresh.'  '  It  was  of  a  time,'  Banbhan  said,  '  when  we  went  in  currachs  to  take 
fish,  that  we  saw  the  ridge-beam  of  a  house  [come  floating]  towards  us  on  the  sea  ;  and  under 
that  beam  a  house  was  built  by  me  [i.e.,  I  built  a  house,  and  used  that  beam  in  the  roof].' 
'  True  it  is,'  said  Dermot :  '  that  is  the  ridge-beam  of  my  house  which  I  caused  to  be  thrown 
into  the  sea  ;  and  what  Ireland's  saints  prognosticated  for  me  was  that  until  all  these  sure 
tokens  should  be  [i.e.,  coincide]  for  me,  I  should  not  have  death:  for  which  reason  it  was 
that  I  cast  the  beam  into  the  sea.'  Also,  with  the  same  glance  that  Dermot  threw  at  the 
beam  he  saw  a  small  herd,  red-headed,  with  white  stars,  that  grazed  ;  and  that  was  matter  of 
prohibition  to  him.  '  Come  ye,  let  us  go  our  ways  out,'  said  Dermot.  '  By  no  means, 
quoth  Suibhne's  son  Black  Aedh,  [meeting  him  in  the  doorway],  for  he  was  even  then 
returned  from  Scotland,  whither  after  [public]  dishonour  done  him  in  the  convention  of 
Taillte,  he  was  banished  by  Dermot.'''' 

"  'This  is  thy  way,'  said  Black  Aedh,  in  the  doorway,  giving  him  at  the  same  time  a 
spear  in  the  breast  that  pierced  him  through,  and  so  broke  his  spine.  Then  Dermot  turns 
back  into  the  house  ;  on  the  outside,  Ulster  surrounds  the  dwelling,  and  the  same  is  burnt 
upon  them  [that  are  in  it].  Dermot  himself  [seeking  refuge  from  the  flames]  entered  the  ale- 
vat,  and  annon  the  mansion's  roof-tree  fell  on  his  head  so  that  he  died."  <■*' 

Rathbeg  (/>.,  little  rath,  in  contradistinction  to  Rathmore),  the  name  of  a 
fort  that  stood  in  the  townland  now  called  by  that  name,  adjoining  Rathmore. 

(1)  This  house  was  probably  Rathmore. 

(2)  Mughain,  Dermot's  wife. 

(3)  This  is  all  that  is  given  in  the  Book  of  Lismore. 

(4)  This  paragraph  is  from  the  tale  as  given  in  the  lost  Book  of  Sligo,  now  preserved  in  MS.    Egerton,  1782. 


THE    ROVAL    RESIDKNCE    OF    RATHMORE    OF    .MOY-I.INNE.  17 

Where  the  Six  Mile  Water  falls  into  Lou-h  Neagh,  there  was  in  ancient 
times  a  clearing,  called  Magh  Comain.  Perhaps  this  is  the  Magh  g  (."uma 
of  elder  times,  which  got  its  name  in  the  following  way  : 

"Tlachtgha  whence  named?  Moghruith  [the  wizard's]  daughter  TIachtgha  whom 
(when  with  her  father  she  went  to  study  magic  in  the  eastern  world)  Simon  Magus's  sons 
all  three  had  her  to  wife,  even  she  it  was  that  for  Tren  constructed  the  roth  ramhack,  the 
playstone  that  is  in  Forchartha,  and  the  cauldron  in  Cnamchoill.  Then  she,  bringing  with 
her  these  two  last,  returned  out  of  the  E.  and  reached  [the  present]  tutach  Tlachtgha  ;  here 
she  lay  in  and  three  sons  were  born :  Doirb,  aquo  mach  n  Doirbi ;  Cuma,  aquo  mach  g  Cuma  ; 
Muach,  aquo  magh  Mnaich;  so  long  as  which  names  sulisist  in  the  men  of  Erin's  memory, 
vengeance  of  outside  strangers  shall  not  attain  Ireland.  She  died  in  childbed,  and  over  her 
the  dun  was  erected,  whence  Tlachtgha."  I" 

Here,  in  later  times,  the  monastery  of  Muckamore  was  erected,  it  is 
generally  supposed  by  Colman-Eala,  a  contemporary  of  St.  Columcille.  His 
death  is  placed  by  Tigernach  and  \\\^  Annals  of  Ulster  Vii  611,610,  respectively: 
to  which  the  former  and  the  Four  Masters  add,  that  he  died  in  his  fifty-si.xth 
year.  On  these  grounds,  the  foundation  of  this  house  may  be  referred  to  the 
year  585. 

A.D.  615,  Aedan,  son  of  INIongan,  King  of  Dalaraidhe,  died  (Annals  of 
Ulster). 

We  have  a  curious  account  of  Rathmore  at  this  time.  Let  me  quote  the 
words  of  Bishop  Reeves  : 

"  Rathmore  of  Moylinny  !  In  the  sixth  century  it  was  a  residence  of  the  Dalaradian 
princes,  as  appears  from  the  following  passage  which  is  taken  from  a  very  ancient  Life  of 
St.  Comgalt,  and  which  possesses  two  chronological  notes  ;  first,  being  connected  with  an 
incident  in  the  life  of  St.  Comgall,  who  died  in  601  ;  and  secondly,  the  mention  of  Fiachna, 
who  succeeded  to  the  throne  of  Ulidia  in  592  :  'Regina  regis  Fiachna  qui  regnait  in  castro  ; 
quod  dicitur  latine  Atrium  magnum,  Scotice  aulem  Rathmor,  in  compo  Linicv  positum, 
quique  erat  degente  Ultorum,  sulicit  de  regime  Dailnaray,  venenum  bibebat,  et  gravissimis 
doloribus  torquebatur,  et  ilia  cum  assiuis  suis  nesciebat  a  quo  traditum  est  ei  venenum.  Ipsa 
jam  regina  Cantigerna  vocabatur,  qua  erat  fidelis  et  pudica  femina.'  Liber  Armacan,  in 
Flemming's  Collection  and  Liber  Kilkenniensis.'  " 

A.D.  626 — Fiachna,  son  of  Baeden,  King  of  Dalaraidhe,  slain  at  the  battle 
of  Lethead  Midhind  in  Drung  ( Ti^^ernach).  He  reigned  thirty  years  over 
Uladh,  and  fell  by  Fiachna  Mac  Demain,  lord  of  Dal-Fiatach. 

Fiachna  was  an  enterprising  chief,  and  in  573  won  the  battle  of  Tola,  in 
the  King's  County.  In  587  he  became  King  of  Uladh,  and  in  594  won  the 
battle  of  Edan-mor  from  the  Ciannachta  of  Meath.  In  597  he  won  the  battle 
of  Sliabh  Cua,  in  Waterford ;  and  in  602  that  of  Cuil-caol,  in  Down.  In  623 
he  took  Rath-Guala,  in  Uladh,  and  fell  at  the  batde  of  Leth-Midhin,  in  626.'" 
Two  very  interesting  papers  appeared  in  vols.  viii.  and  ix.  of  the  Ulster  Journal 
of  ArcheEology  (old  series) :  the  first  by  Mrs.  Webb  of  Dublin,  who  derived  her 
information  from  "  private  records  and  historical  notices,"  and  the  other  by 
the  Rev.  George   Hill,  connecting  the   Mac  Quillins  of  the   Route  with  this 

(1)  Silva  Gadelica. 

(2)  Adamnan's  Life  of  St.  Columba,  edited  by  Bishop  Renes. 


l8  THE    ROYAI,    RESIDENCE    OF    RATHMORE    OF    MOY-LINNE. 

king.  Mrs.  Webb  calls  him  "  Fiacha,  son  of  Nial  of  the  Nine  Hostages"; 
but  the  Rev.  George  Hill  writes :  "  Fiacha  (more  correctly  Fiachna),  a 
renowned  prince  of  Dalariada."  The  Annalists  term  him  "  King  of  Dala- 
raidhe"  and  "King  of  Uladh." 

Mrs.  Webb's  paper  is  peculiarly  interesting,  as  giving  a  curious  account  of 
Rathmore,  which  she  makes  to  have  been  a  seat  of  the  Mac  Quillins,  and  a 
stronghold  to  the  Ulster  Kings.      Let  me  give  a  few  extracts  : 

"There  is  some  ambiguity  cast  round  the  name  Mac  QuilHn,  from  the  various  spellings 
under  which  it  is  presented  to  us  in  different  ages.  In  the  first  place,  Q  does  not  belong  to  it 
at  all  in  the  original.  But  in  different  cases  of  the  word,  or  by  different  writers,  we  find  it 
spelled  Mac  Uidhilin,  Mac  Uillin,  Mag  Cuilline  Coilin,  and  Mag  Uali  ;  whilst  collateral 
evidence  proves  that  in  all  those  instances  it  is  the  same  name.  Another  ambiguity  has  arisen 
from  its  occasional  association,  during  the  twelfth  century,  with  the  name  Dunskveye. 
Under  date  1 178,  we  have  the  following  chronicle:  '  Murough  O'Carrol  and  Cu 
Uladh,  son  of  Dunslevey,  King  of  Uladh,  attacked  De  Courcy's  forces,  of  whom  they 
slew  four  hundred  and  fifty.'  Dunslevey  has  been  explained  as  signifying  'The  Mountain 
Fortress,'  which  fortress,  belonging  to  the  Kings  of  Ulidia,  is  said  to  have  been  situated 
on  one  of  the  Mourne  Mountains.  There  are  several  indications  which  go  to  prove 
that  Dunslevey  was  not,  under  any  phase,  the  real  surname  of  the  family  which 
occupied  that  fortress,  several  of  whom  were  conspicuous  as  Kings  of  Ulster  during  the 
twelfth  century.  Whilst  they  were  popularly  called  Dunslevey,  from  their  mountain  castle,  it 
appears  that  they  belonged  either  to  the  Mac  Uillin  or  the  O'Huigin  families,  both  of  whom 
were  descendants  of  Fiacha,  son  of  Niall.  It  has  thus  been  suggested  that  there  may  have 
been  two  branches  of  Fiacha  Mac  Uillin's  descendants,  one  residing  at  Rath  Mor  in  Moylinne. 
the  other  at  Dunslevey — who,  according  to  national  usage,  being  of  the  same  origin,  were 
equally  eligible  to  the  kingship  of  Ulidia— and  that  the  Dunslevey  branch  was  annihilated  by 
De  Courcy.  It  may  either  have  been  so,  or  that  Dunslevey  in  that  age  had  become  the  principal 
royal  residence  of  the  Kings  of  Ulidia;  and  that,  when  De  Courcy  assumed  the  title  of  Earl  of 
Ulidia,  or  Ulster,  the  ancient  princes  were  forced  to  leave  their  mountain  fortress,  as  well  as 
to  renounce  the  title  of  Kings  of  Ulidia.  Be  that  as  it  may,  after  the  twelfth  century  the  Mac 
Quillin  territory  was  limited  to  Dalriada,  and  their  residence  established  at  Rath  Mor  Mag 
Uillin  ;  and  we  hear  no  more  of  Dunslevey  as  a  name  amongst  the  Ulster  chieftains,  unless 
Sleven  Mac  Quillin,  in  the  fourteenth  century,  can  be  regarded  as  an  exception. 

"  Our  MS.  says  that  Mac  Uillin  signifies  '  darling  son,'  and  that  the  name  was  conferred 
by  Niall  on  Fiacha,  his  youngest  child,  and  the  only  son  of  his  second  and  favourite  queen. 
.  .  .  .  The  MS.  also  states  that  Fiacha  Mac  Uillin  was  just  settled  in  West  Meath,  and 
that  his  name  remains  located  there,  in  the  parish  of  Ballymacquillin,  in  the  region  now 
designated  King's  County.  It  seems  that  he  got  possession  of  Dalaraidhe,  sometime  after  his 
two  elder  brothers,  Owen  and  Connel,  were  settled  in  the  government  of  Tir  Owen  and  Tir 
Connell ;  the  Fiatachians,  and  the  descendants  of  Ir  or  Clanna  Rory,  who  were  the  original 
possessors,  remaining  as  the  occupying  inhabitants  of  Ulster,  whilst  Fiacha's  descendants  were 
its  princes.  Mac  Uillin,  most  probably,  came  into  use  as  a  surname  in  the  eleventh  century, 
after  Brian  Boru  issued  the  national  requisition  which  introduced  the  custom  of  surnames  to 
Ireland.  Of  course  it  was  the  reigning  family  of  Ulidia  (they  who  occupied  Rath  Mor 
Mag  Uillin)  who  adopted  the  surname.  But  in  this  we  merely  reason  from  analogy  and 
probability." 

In  Keating's  Gencahi^y  of  the  O'Neills,  he  says:  "From  Fiacha,  son  of 
Niall  of  the  Nine  Hostages,  spring  O'Mulloy,  O'Maolmhuath,  Mogeoghagan, 
the  Mac  Cuillins,  and  O'Huiginns."  As  Keating  is  a  first-rate  authority  in 
family  pedigree,  we  may  take  his  statement  as  conckisive^  so  far  as  it  goes,  that 


THR    ROYAL    RESIDENCE    OF    RATHMORE    OF    MOV-I.INNE. 


19 


the  Mac  Uillins  are  descended  from  Fiacha,  son  of  Niall  the  Great.  Rut  on  the 
question  of  when  or  how  they  became  kings  of  Ulidia,  he  throws  no  Hght.  It  is 
true,  however,  that  he  brings  out  their  name  as  distinguishing  the  spot  which  is 
recognised  by  others  as  that  of  the  palace  of  the  Ulidiun  kings.  He  records  a 
great  battle  which  was  fought  in  the  year  6S5,  in  Ulidia,  "at  Moigh  Cuillin,"  in 
repelling  an  invasion  from  the  King  of  Wales.  Other  Irish  writers  speak  of 
that  battle  as  having  been  fought  at  Rath  Mor  Alagh  Line,  thus  showing  the 
identity  between  Moigh  Cuillin  and  Rath  Mor  Magh-line  Ultimately,  the 
name  was  resolved  into  Moylinne,  a  manor  of  the  County  Antrim.  In  the 
annotations  which  are  given  in  Connellan's  Translation  of  ihe  Four  Arasiers, 
it  is  mentioned  thus  : 

"  Rath  Mor  of  Moylinne,  was  a  residence  of  the  kings  of  Dalaradia,  or  Ulidia. 
It  is  situated  near  Lough  Neagh,  in  the  present  parish  of  Donegore,  and  the  place  is 
still  known  as  the  Manor  of  Moylinne.  After  an  existence  of  eleven  hundred  years,  the 
royal  habitations  on  the  I-lath  were  burned  to  the  ground  in  1513.  O'Neill,  i.e..  Art, 
the  son  of  Hugh,  marched  with  a  force  into  Frian  Conguill,  and  burned  Moylinne  (in 
Antrim),  and  plundered  the  Glynns;  the  son  of  Niall,  son  of  Con  Mac  Quillin,  overtook  a 
party  of  the  forces,  and  slew  Hugh,  the  son  of  O'Neill,  on  that  occasion.  On  the  following 
day  the  force  and  their  pursuers  met  in  an"-encounter,  in  which  Mac  Quillin — namely,  Richard, 
the  son  of  Roderick— with  a  number  of  the  Albanians,  were  slain.  After  that  destruction  of 
the  habitations  in  Rath  Mor  Mag  Uillin,  the  Castle  of  Dunluce  became  the  chief  residence  of 
the  Mac  Quillins,  and  the  deserted  Rath  Mor  was  never  re-edified." 

A  note  to  this  paragraph  runs  as  follows  : 

"  Rath  Mor  Mac  Uillin,  signifying  Gi-eat  Ra:h  of  Mai-Qitillin,  is  the  name  which  mir 
MS.  says  was  the  original  designation  of  the  spot  where  stood  the  ancient  palace  of  the  Ulster 
kings.      It  was  often  written  Rath  Mor  Magh  Line,  again  Moig  Cuillin,  and  now  Moylinne." 

The  next  king  is  a  person  of  great  historical  and  romantic  interest.  The 
Annals  of  the  Four  Masters  describe  him  thus:  "a.d.  637 — Suibhne,  son  of 
Colman  Cuar,  son  of  Cobhthach,  King  of  Dalaraidhe." 

At  this  time,  Congal  Claen  was  King  of  Ulster,  and  with  him  Suibhne,  or 
Sweeny,  was  a  great  favourite,  and  their  families  were  about  to  l)e  united  by 
the  marriage  of  Congal  with  Sweeny's  sister  Lafinda ;  but  the  Battle  of  Magh 
Rath  made  her  the  bride  of  another,  and  made  Congal  and  Sweeny  epoch 
makers  :  the  first,  in  history,  as  the  last  champion  of  the  pagan  Ixardic  system 
and  the  old  pagan  religions  of  Erin  ;  and  the  other  as  a  central  figure  around 
whom  hang  all  the  old  pagan  and  early  Christian  superstitions  and  legends 
concerning  lunacy,  second  sight,  and  simpleness. 

This  battle  is  descriljed  by  O'Flaherty  in  the  following  words  : 

"  In  the  year  637,  the  battle  of  Moy-rath,  in  Ulster,  was  fought  by  Domnald  the  Second, 
King  of  Ireland,  and  the  sons  of  Aid  Slany,  Monarch  of  Ireland,  against  Congall  Claen,  the 
son  of  Scandal,  King  of  Ulidia,  who  was  [had  been]  vanquished  in  a  battle  at  Dun  Kethern, 
in  the  year  629,  and  banished  into  Britain  for  his  factious  and  aspiring  measures.  He  levied 
a  great  army  for  this  battle,  composed  of  Albanian  Scots,  with  their  king  Domnall  Bree 
and  his  brothers,  of  Picts,  Anglo-Saxons,  and  Britons.  In  this  battle,  which  continued  for 
seven  days,  Congall  was  killed,  the  rest  obliged  to  fly  in  the  utmost  consternation,  and 
Suwney,  the  son  of  Cuar,  lord  of  Dalaradia,  was  drowned."' 
(  To  be  contiinied.  ) 


^he  H^aelam  flDanuecript 

By    ROBERT    REDMAN    BELSHAW,    Dublin. 


HIS  interesting  local  MS.,  which  has  recently  been  brought 
to  light  by  Miss  E.  R.  Nelson,  of  Lame,  was  a  common- 
place book  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Haslam,  first  curate  of 
Lisburn  Cathedral.  It  is  a  small  octavo  of  about  150 
pages,  and  is  over  two  hundred  years  old.  One  of  the  last 
dated  entries  refers  to  the  arrival  of  King  William  "  at  y"  Whitehouse,  betwixt 
Belfast  and  Carrigfergus,  on  Saturday,  y"  14th  day  of  June,  1690."  Mr. 
Haslam  had  then  attained  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-six.  His  wife  died  the 
following  year,  and  he  in  1695,  as  recorded  in  the  Cathedral  register. 

Thomas  Haslam  was  evidently  one  of  the  old  Conway  settlement  about 
Lisburn,  and  very  likely  also  an  Englishman.  He  was  a  good  classical  scholar, 
and,  as  such,  perhaps  by  local  influence,  he  was  placed  on  the  Commonwealth 
pay-roll  as  schoolmaster  at  Lisnagarvey,  with  a  salary  of  ^30  a  year.  His 
principles,  religious  and  political,  appear  to  have  been  those  of  Jeremy  Taylor, 
the  chaplain  at  Portmore.'^'  At  the  Restoration  his  friend  became  Bishop  of 
the  Diocese,  and  he  was  appointed  reader  or  curate  to  the  Rev.  James  xMace, 
the  first  rector  of  the  new  Cathedral  at  Lisburn.  His  school,  which  was 
made  a  free  one,  was  taken  over  by  the  Church.  He  married  soon  after  this, 
and  had  several  children,  most  of  whom  seem  to  have  died  in  infancy,  as 
appears  by  the  list  kindly  supplied  by  the  present  incumbent,  the  Rev.  Canon 
Pounden. 

There  was  another  Haslam  in  Lisburn  aljout  the  same  period,  supposed  to 
be  a  near  relative  of  the  curate.  His  name  was  Sylvanus.  In  his  will  of  1 7 1 1, 
which  seems  to  have  been  a  death-bed  one,  he  describes,  among  his  other 
possessions,  certain  gardens  and  orchards  in  Haslam  Lane.  All  those  have 
long  since  disappeared,  but  the  name  still  clings  to  the  locality  under  very 
altered  circumstances.  An  overseer  of  the  will  was  the  well-known  Valentine 
Jones,  of  Lisburn,  father  of  Mrs.  Gayer,  of  Derriaghy,  one  of  the  early 
Methodists,  at  whose  house  Wesley  once  lay  at  the  point  of  death.  Her 
husband  was  clerk  of  the  Irish  Parliament.     A  record  of  Sylvanus  Haslam 

(1)  See  vol.  iii.,  p.  13. 


thf:  haslam  manuscript.  21 

may  still  be  seen  in  a  flat  tombstone   beside   the  Huguenot  graves  at  the 
eastern  wall  of  the  Cathedral  churchyard. 

The  MS.  begins  with  what  the  writer  calls  a  "  peculiar  litany,"  with  forms 
of  prayer,  graces,  and  pious  ejaculations,  suitable  to  almost  every  condition  of 
human  existence.  In  addition  to  these,  it  abounds  in  extracts  from  the  Bible 
and  the  Fathers,  also  classical  quotations  in  the  interest  of  religion  and 
morality,  interspersed  with  pious  reflections  and  sententious  observations.  He 
was  partial  to  aphorisms.  After  the  manner  of  Ecclesiastes,  the  preacher  was 
wise,  and  sought  out  acceptable  words,  even  words  of  wisdom.  He  remem- 
bered the  days  of  old,  and  tells  the  rising  generation  that  "the  way  to  live 
long  is  to  be  old  betimes,  and  the  way  to  live  ahvay  is  to  dye  dayly."  "  Let 
no  interest  engage  thee  against  thy  two  bosom  friends,  conscience  and 
honesty."  "  What  was  before,  and  what  will  be  when  we  are  noe  more,  who 
knows?"     "Change  must  be  :  every  one  hath  a  time  allotted." 

In  Haslam's  reference  to  King  William's  arrival,  he  makes  a  correction  of 
calling  /rcland  i^/vVland  :  perhaps  a  play  on  the  word  Ire  as  representing 
chronic  dissension.  He  may  have  thought  the  prefix  Brit  a  better  synonym 
for  future  harmony  and  prosperity.  His  entry  in  the  Cathedral  book,  under 
date  of  1690,  is  much  shorter,  though  not  less  emphatic  than  in  the  MS.  It 
is  as  follows:  "God  Almighty  fought  for  King  William,  and  gave  him  a 
memorable  victory  over  y^  Irish  at  the  Boyne,  near  Tradath,'''  y°  ist  day  of 
July,  and,  in  four  days  after  Tradath,  Dublin  yielded  without  blood." 

An  account  of  the  preservation  of  the  MS.  may  not  be  uninteresting. 
About  1735,  an  ancestor  of  the  present  writer,  John  Lee,  of  Limerick,  whose 
mother,  Helena,  was  one  of  the  Dowdall  heiresses  in  that  county,  held  an 
important  civil  appointment  at  Lame.  While  there,  he  married  a  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  George  Wilkins,  the  then  late  Rector  of  Lisburn,  who  was  a  son  of 
the  preceding  Rector,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  Wilkins,  Dean  of  Clogher,  and  at 
the  Restoration  one  of  the  foundation  Fellows  of  T.C.D.  Haslam  was 
Wilkins's  curate  from  1672  until  his  (Haslam's)  death  in  1695.  Some  of  his 
papers,  and  amongst  them  this  MS.,  then  came  into  the  Rector's  family,  amongst 
whose  descendants  they  have  remained  ever  since.  A  daughter  of  John  Lee 
married  Thomas  Clarke,  of  Ballinderry  House,  in  the  adjoining  parish  of 
Ballinderry.  Among  the  surviving  descendants  of  this  family  are  Miss  Hall 
and  Miss  Nelson,  of  Gardenmore  House,  Larne.  By  the  will  of  Thomas 
Clarke,  his  "desk  and  bookcase,"  in  which  this  MS.  and  other  family  papers 
had  lain  undisturbed  for  years,  were  reserved  from  the  usual  sale.'"'  In  this 
way  it  came  into  possession  of  his  son-in-law.  Dr.  John  Ravenscroft,  of 
Ballinderry,  brother  of  the  Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor's  chaplain.  Preben- 
dary   Ravenscroft,    Rector    of    Dunaghy.     After    his    death,    it   came    to   his 

(1)  Drogheda.  (2)  See  vol.  iii.,  p.  125. 


2  2  THE    HASLAM    MANUSCRIPT. 

descendants,  and  eventually  to  its  latest  custodian,  his  grand-daughter,  Miss 
E.  Ravenscroft  Nelson,  of  Lame,  to  whom  its  recent  preservation  is  due.  The 
following  is  a  reproduction  of  one  of  the  pages  of  the  book  : 

1690 
William  Henry  Nassa  prince 

of  Orange  by  divine  providence 
chosen  King  of  Eng :  Scot :  ffrance  & 
Irclar.d  Britland  •  too  long  called 
Ireland,  landed  here  in  y*^  North  at 
y^      Whitehouse       betwixt       Belfast       and 

Saturday 
Carrigfergus  on  Thi" day  y""  14"'  day  of 
June  1690  about  4  of  y"^  clock  in  the 
afternoon  with  great  joy  and  acclama- 
tions 1690 
He  lodged  5  :  nights  in  Belfast  on  thirse- 
day  following  he  came  to  Lisburne  &  with 
many  great  parsonages'^'  dined  with  duke 
Shonberg  &  in  y^  Afternoon  went  to 
Hillsburrow,  where  he  staid  three 
nights,  on  y^2  2'^w''''  was  Sunday  he  marched 
to  Loughbriclan  then  to  nury  then 
towards  Tradagh  where  on  y^  first 
of    July     at     y''     Boyne     he     routed     the 

y''   strength   of  all    Ireland 
great       Irish       army      &      —      within      4 
days    after    took    Tradath    &    Dublin    with- 
out blood 

THO   HASLAM 

ne  obliviscaris  sed 

enarres  opera  domini 

(1)  Among  the  "  many  great  parsonages"  who  enjoyed   themselves  on  that  unique  occasion   in   Lisbnrn 
was  the  Rev.  George  Walker,  Go\  ernor  of  berry. 


tTbe  inietcr  IDoluntccr^  of  '82:  tbcir  riDcbal^, 


The  following  cont 
article,  page  15^.  v.il.  i\ 
111  Older  to  make  this  w 
who  have  such  articles, 
originals  to  me  to  make 


IS  Jos,. 


(  Cotitiiiiied  from  vol.  iv.,  page  2jj.) 

II   to   til'-   article   hy    Robert    I  )ay,    i.s.A.,    v.il.    iv.,   jiage   73,  anil    a  suhsei] 

l.|''l    ...nii.lete  as  far  as   Ulster   is  n  ,11.  eniei'l     1    .e,;.im   re.inest  that   all    I 
ulli.T   V.iUmteer    relics,   would  emiineiate 
igs   from,   and    1    will   safely   return   them. 

(BiUball  IDoluntecrs. 

By  FRANCIS  JOSEPH   IJIGGKR,   Kditor. 

^^^  HERE  is  carefully  preserved  in  the  quaint  old  mansion  of 
i^^^  the  Earl  Clanwilliam,  known  as  Ciillhall,  near  the  (Cathedral 
"<^r^  town  of  Dromore,  Co.  Down,  the  very  fine  flag  of  the 
H^^p  ^^^  Gillhall  Volunteers.  Concerning  this  regiment,  I  have  been 
4^^^^3^r^^  able  to  glean  nothing,  nor  do  I  find  it  mentioned  in  the 
Volunteers  Companio)i,  Dublin,  1784,  from  which  the  appendix  in  MacNevin's 
Vo  lunteers  has 
evidently  been  com- 
piled. It  was  doubt- 
less manned  by  the 
tenantry  and  ser- 
vants of  the  Gillhall 
estate,  and  officered 
by  the  resident 
family.  'I'his  man- 
sion is  famous  as 
the  scene  of  a  well- 
verified  ghost  story; 
and  the  bedroom  in 
which  the  ghost  of 
Lord  Tyrone  ap- 
peared to  Lady 
Eeresford  is  still 
shown  in  practically 

its  original  condition.  The  full  details  of  this  remarkable  romance 
are  given  in  the  Getua/o^uai  Magazine  for  i8tj8,  page  329,  vol.  i. 
On  the  occasion  of  my  visit,  strangers  were  charged  sixpence  each 
as  admission  to  see  the  room,  but  the  ghost  was  not  on  view,  the 
proceeds  going  towards  the  enlargement  of  Dromore  Cathedral. 
The  flag,  staff,  tassels,  and  mounting,  are  all  complete,  and  in 
excellent  preservation.  The  stall  is  10  feet  long,  surmounted  with 
an  openwork  brass    spear,  and    finished  with  a  brass    butt.     The 


ALL    X'OLUNTEERS. 


24 


BURIAL   URNS    FOUND    AT    GLENAVY. 


flag  is  55  inches  deep  by  70  inches  broad,  bearing  in  the  centre  a 
large  oval  containing  a  harp  surmounted  by  an  Irish  crown  and  surrounded 
by  a  wreath.  Above  the  oval  is  a  ribbon  with  the  name  of  the  regiment, 
Gill-Hall  Volunteers,  and  beneath  on  a  scroll  the  oft-repeated  Volunteer 
motto.  Pro  aris  et  focis  (for  our  altars  and  our  hearths).  Both  sides  of 
the  flag  are  alike;  the  colour  is  purple,  the  oval  and  the  ribbons  being  white, 
lettered  black.  The  leaves  of  the  wreath  are  yellow  and  green,  and  the 
berries  red.  Nothing  but  silk  has  been  used,  and  the  devices  have  been  very 
beautifully  worked  with  the  needle.  The  crown  is  in  black  and  brown  silk, 
with  gold  lines,  the  harp  being  of  gold,  shaded  black,  all  worked  with  silk  thread. 
The  tassels  are  purple.  We  would  like  to  see  this  flag,  so  long  associated 
with  the  neighbourhood  of  Dromore,  hung  upon  the  walls  of  the  ancient 
Cathedral  of  Dromore,  where  so  many  worthies  rest  in  peace. 


Burial  IDlcne  foun^  at  (Blenav^. 

By  a.   MUSSEN,  m.d.. 
Het  Majesty  s  Coroner  for  South  Antrim. 

HESE    urns  were  found    in    a    field    belonging    to   James 

Lorimer,  in  the  townland  of  Glenavy,  Co.  Antrim,  about  a 

quarter  of  a  mile  east  of  that  village.    The  smaller  one 

2f5^"j-    (fig.  i),  with  covering  urn  (fig.  2),  was  discovered  in  1S54, 

'-    embedded    in    the    gravel,    at    the    summit    of  an    al)rupt 


.^/-zJ-. 


Fig.   I.  Fig.  2. 

natural  mound,  about  three  feet  under  the  surface.  This  mound  was  being 
levelled  at  the  time  to  facilitate  farming  operations.  The  soil  all  round  was 
alluvial,  and  did  not  appear  to  have  been  disturbed  by  interments.  The 
urn  proper  was  half-filled  with  calcined  bones,  and  resting  in  the  gravel ; 
the    covering   urn    (fig.    2)   was    inverted    over    it.      There    was    no    cist    or 


nURIAL    URNS    FOUND    AT    (ILENAVY. 


25 


supporting  stone,  and  no  flint  or  bronze  implements  of  any  kind  were  near 
the  place,  which  had  no  appearance  of  having  been  a  general  place  of 
sepulture.  A  number  of  trees,  but  nothing  worthy  of  the  name  of  timber, 
had  until  recently  been  growing  round  the  mound,  their  planting  being 
evidently  due  to  the  fact  of  the  mound  being  unlabourable.  At  a  distance  of 
about  five  feet  from  the  urn,  and  about  three  feet  under  the  surface,  part  of  a 
human  skeleton  was  found.  From  the  position  in  which  the  bones  of  the 
head  and  those  of  the  feet  were  found,  it  seemed  as  if  the  body  had  been 
crushed  into  a  hole  too  small  for  it.  The  body  had  been  placed  on  its  back, 
and  doubled  up. 

10"  > 


<- 


^ 


The  larger  urn  (fig.  3)  was 

discovered  in  June,  1S98,  in  a 

field  about  250  yards  west  of 

the  field  in  which  was  found 

the  smaller  urns.     A  gravel  pit 

had   been   sunk,  the   sides   of 

which  were  being  levelled  in 

when    the    spade    struck    the 

bottom  of  the  urn,  knocking  a 

hole  in  it.     This  disclosed  its 

nature,    and    James    Lorimer 

had    it    carefully    uncovered, 

when  it  was  found  to  contain 

a    large    quantity   of   calcined 

bones,  of  what  must  have  been 

a  very  large-sized  human  being. 

The    urn    was    inverted    over 

the     calcined     bones.       The 

soil  about  is  entirely  alluvial, 

showing  no  signs  of  a  general 

sepulchre,  but   merely  a   hole 

large  enough  to  admit  of  the  insertion  of  the  urn  and  nothing  more, 
were  no  flints  or  bronzes  about  the  urn,  but  a  stone  about  six  inches  in 
diameter  rested  upon  the  bottom  of  it.  The  field  is  (luite  level  at  the  place, 
and  has  no  appearance  of  a  former  mound  near  it. 

The  bones  found  have  been  examined  by  Professor  Cunningham,  of  the 
Queen's  College,  Belfast,  who  reports  as  follows  :-The  charred  fragments  of 
bones  from  the  urns  (figs,  i  and  3)  are  in  such  a  fragmentary  condition, 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to  tell  in  a  limited  examination  to  what  annual 
or  animals  they  belonged.  The  bones  found  in  the  earth  I  have  identified 
as  belonging  to  one  aged  human  being.  The  following  have  been 
identified  by  me : 


\ 


<r 


There 


BURIAL    URNS    FOUND    AT    GLENAVY. 


1.  Fragme/ifs  of  Sku/I — i.e.  (a)  base  of  cranium  in  sphenoidal  region  ; 
(b)  petrous  portion  of  two  temporal  bones;  (c)  portions  of  orbits; 
(d)  fragments  o^  upper  jaw  ;  (e)  greater  part  of  loiver  jaw — the  shape  of  this 
last  indicates  an  old  individual. 

2.  Vertebrce — /.<?.,  portions  of  axis  or  second  cervical,  and  portion  of 
another  cervical. 

3.  Arin~(a)  shaft  and  lower  end  of  radius ;  (b)  metacarpals. 

4.  Feh'is — Fragment,  with  part  of  acetabular  cavity. 

5.  Leg — (a)  upper  portion  oi  femur  ;  (b)  two  calcauea  ;  (c)  two  astragoli ; 
(d)  other  tarsal  bones  ;  (e)  metatarsals  of  the  great  toes. 

The  small  urn  (fig.  i)  is  43^  in.  high,  4?-^  in. 
in  diameter  at  the  mouth,  and  2  3/8  in.  at  the 
base,  and  is  entirely  covered  with  ornament, 
which  is  continued  on  the  inside  of  the  lip. 
This  ornament  is  accurately  shown  in  the 
illustration  (fig.  i).  The  covering  urn  (fig.  2) 
stands  6]^  in.  high,  6]/^  in.  in  diameter  at 
the  mouth,  and  4  in.  at  the  base,  and  few 
urns  show  more  ornament.  It  is  to  be 
regretted  that  it  has  been  much  broken,  but 
not  so  much  as  to  spoil  the  character  of  the 
ornament,  which  has  been  sketched  in  fig.  4, 
and  accurately  depicts  the  original.  Very 
similar  ornamentation  is  often  seen  on  cala- 
bashes from  the  West  Coast  of  Africa. 

The  urn  (fig.  3)  is  imperfectly  burned,  and 
shows  the  least  ornament  of  the  three.      It  is 
12  in.  high,  and  10  in.  wide  at  the  mouth,  and 
5)4  in.  at  the  base.     A  raised  band  encircles 
Fig.  4-  it  a  little  above  the  centre,  and  another  below 

the  lip,  between  which  and  the  lip  there  is  a  diagonal  line  ornament. 

I  am  indebted  to  Charles  Elcock,  of  the  City  Museum,  Belfast,  for  the 

accompanying  drawings. 


(5lcani!ioi6  for  former  fermaitaob  Hrtkics 

By  the  Ric.ht  Hon.  the  EARL  OF  KKLMORK,  <;.c.m.(;. 
( Concluded  from  page  iji,   vol.   iv.) 


CHALICE    OF    ENNISKILLEN   CHURCH. 

HE  following  curious  notice  of  this  chalice,  which  is  still  in 
use,  is  found  in  the  will'"  of  the  Rev.  John  Smith,  a  former 
rector  of  the  parish,  who  died  in  Yorkshire  in  or  about 
1652: 

Memorandum,  that  my  wife  [Debbora]  hath  in  her  custody  a 
Chalice  and  cover  for  it,  which  Mr.  Eilward  Davis,  at  my  request, 
gave  to  the  use  of  the  Church  of  IniskilHn,  and  is  to  be  restored  to  that  cliurch  when  the 
Parrishioners  shall  pay  my  executrix  fower  pounds  six  .shillings  and  eight  pence,  which  I 
layd  out  for  them  in  paveinge  and  plastering  the  said  church,  out  of  which  fower  pounds 
six  shillings  and  eight  pence  my  Executrix  is  to  pay  the  parri,sh  of  Iniskillin  six  shdhngs 
shee  received  for  a  fflaggon  which,  as  [it]  was  two  [sic)  heavie  to  bee  carried  alonge  for 
Yorkshire,   was  soulde  at  Liverpool. 

The  chalice  is  of  silver;  the  flagon  may  have  been  of  pewter. 

CAPTAIN    BROWNING'S    ARREST   IN    1688. 

Readers  of  my  paper  in  vol.  ii.  on  Governor  Hamilton  and  Captain  Corry 
may  recollect  this  incident,  which  was  made  use  of  as  one  of  the  charges 
against  Captain  lames  Corry  in  MacCarmick's  narrative.  The  following  is 
the  way  in  which  the  author  of  the  Phillipps-Betham  MS.  in  1718  puts  the 
matter : 

In  y-^  Month  of  Jan.  "SS,  two  companies  of  King  Ja:  his  men  came  with  a  patent  to 
Inishkillin,  at  which  lime  Cap"-  Browning,  Cap'"  Barde,  and  Cap'"  McCarmick  were 
y<^  chiefest  ofticers  in  y"  towne  at  y'  time ;  and  in  a  riotous  manner  refused  to  admit  them 
entrance,  and  drew  y«  Drawbridges  ag'  y'".  Hereat  y=  Magistrates  were  much  amased  for 
such  a  riot  ag'  y^  King's  commands,  gave  orders  to  secure  y=  .said  Captains  in  safe  custody, 
and  being  so''confined\mtill  one  Captain  Christopher  Carleton  w'"  a  cocked  pistol!  in  his 
hand  rescued  y'"  and  sett  them  at  liberty;  but  as  nothing  can  be  w'W.ut  a  beginning,  this 
Rescue  was  y<=  efficient  cause  of  preserving  y^  garison  of  Iniskillin  from  King  James  his 
men,  &c. 

This  writer  at  least  (whoever  he  may  have  been)  evidently  considered  the 
action  of  the  magistrates,  Sir  Gerard  Irvine  and  Captain  Corry,  to  have  been 
quite  natural  and  proper  under  the  circumstances. 

(1)   From   Ihe  book  copv  in   P.R.O.,   Dublin.       The  will  was  d.-ited   1652;  proved   in  England  28  Sep 
ft.       ,,,  1  Tn   Ir  Inn  1    ,-    h.lv     it,".;        He  is  described  as  Rector  of   Iniskdlm,  and    of   Bond«ate,   in  York- 
shi,4\       He  n/entions  th  J  he'hLd^  about   50  o.    of  plate,  and   goods  and    household    stuff  a,    Kipon,   which, 
with  monev  lent,  etc.,  amounted    to    about    ^[250.       He.meiiti.ms  li 
daughter   Katherin  ;  and  another  child  was  expected. 


sons   .Ste 


Walte 


25  GLEANINGS    FOR    FORMER    FERMANAGH    ARTICLES. 

JAMES    CORRY   THE    YOUNGER. 

At  page  1 1 8,  note  i,  vol.  ii.,  I  said  that  a  Mr.  James  Corry\  mentioned 
by  MacCarmick  as  accompanying  Mr.  ]Villiam  Browning  to  Newtownbutler 
on  the  night  of  15  Dec,  1688,  after  the  retreat  of  King  James's  troops 
from  before  Enniskillen,  was  probably  a  son  of  James  Corry  the  elder, 
of  Carroivmacmea,  and  cousin  of  Captain  Corry  (of  Castlecoole);  but  that  I 
could  trace  him  no  further.  As  regards  the  latter  point,  I  am  now  inclined  to 
think  that  he  was  father  of  a  John  Corry  of  Lisanock,  near  Newtownbutler, 
whose  will  was  proved  11  Jan.,  1742-3.  The  latter,  who  was  a  leaseholder 
under  Lord  Lanesborough,  seems  to  have  had  by  Mary  his  wife  a  son  Allan, 
of  Lisanock,  whose  will  was  proved  14  Aug.,  1753  (in  it  he  mentions  four 
sons  and  one  daughter);  another  son  John,  of  Newtownbutler  (his  will  was 
proved  22  Feb.,  1757 — in  it  he  mentions  three  daughters);  a  daughter, 
Margaret  Dobbin;  and  a  daughter  Susanna;  who,  in  1734,  married  James 
Auchinleck  the  younger,  of  Thomastown,  adjoining  Castlecoole,  who  was  a 
grandson  of  Captain  (or  Colonel)  James  Corry,  and  the  ancestor  of  several 
families  now  e.xtant  of  the  name  of  Auchinleck.  The  Christian  name  of 
Allan  seems  to  point  to  a  relationship  with  Captain  Allan  Cathcarf,  who  died 
in  1720,  and  who,  as  it  appears  by  his  will,  was  in  private  life  the  owner  of 
a  tannery.  He  makes  no  mention  of  any  children.  The  late  William  Corry, 
J.  p.  (long  known  about  Enniskillen  as  Captain  or  ]Villy  Corry),  adjutant  of 
the  Fermanagh  militia  and  local  inspector  of  the  gaol,  and  who  died  in  1862, 
was,  I  suppose,  the  last  representative  of  the  Corrys  of  Lisanock. 

CAPTAINS  WILLIAM    MacCARMICK,   ROBERT  CLARKE, 
AND  WILLIAM   BROWNING. 

In  my  paper  on  Governor  Hamilton  and  Captain  Corry,  I  said  in  the 
second  footnote  to  page  113  of  vol.  ii.  that  William  MacCarmick's  signature 
was  absent  from  the  old  Enniskillen  Vestry-book.  I  find  now,  however,  that 
he  signed  the  minutes  of  the  Easter  Vestry  in  April,  1679.  Although,  at 
that  date,  this  is  not  conclusive  proof,  yet  it  raises  a  presumption  that 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Established  Church,  particularly  as  there  is  no 
trace  of  him  in  the  records  of  the  Presbyterian  congregation  at  Enniskillen 
which  then   was. 

In  the  second  note  to  page  125  of  vol.  ii.,  I  find  that  I  have  confounded 
Captain  Robert  Clarke's  signatures  with  those  of  his  father,  also  Robert 
Clarke.  After  the  signatures  to  the  minutes  of  a  Vestry  meeting,  held  16 
June,  1670,  in  the  parish  church  of  Iniskcene  (the  old  name),  when  Robert 
Clarke  (senior)  signed  as  one  of  the  churchwardens,   there  follows  this: 

MJum  yf  on  y^  iS'''  day  of  Sep^,  in  y'=  y'^  of  or  L^'  (iod  1654,  there  was  christened 
Robert  Clarke,  y'=  son  of  Robert  Clarke,  y'^  present  churchwarden. 

R.  Clarke's  signatures  are  also  found  once  in  167  i  and  twice  in  1672. 


GLEANINGS    FOR    FORMKR    FERMANAGH    ARTICLES.  29 

The  signatures  of  (Captain)  R.  Clarke  I  have  found  in  the  years 
1679-80-1-2-3-4,  1697-8-9,  1 701-2  as  Churchwarden,  1 704-5-6-10- 
13-16.  This  is  the  same  autograph  as  that  to  the  Enniskillen  certificate 
to  Captain  Corry. 

The  following  extract  from  the  minutes  of  the  Easter  Vestry,  1 1  April, 
1 7 10,  shows  that  both  R.  Clarke  and  W.  Browning  were  members  of  the 
Enniskillen  congregation  at  that  time: 

It  was  agreed  by  the  Minister,  Churchwardens,  and  Parishioners  that  Captain  Robert 
Clarke  and  Captain  John  Moore  shall  have  the  ground  betweene  the  Chancel  and  the  seate 
that  Mr.  Dunbar  formerly  sate  in,  on  which  ground  they  may  build  a  seate  for  thire  families, 
as  alsoe  that  Capt"  W'"  Browning,  Mr.  Paule  Dane,  &  Lf'"  George  Cashell  shall  have  the 
seat  next  to  the  pulpit.  Also  that  Lf"  Laurens  Crafford  shall  have  the  seat  next  to  Captain 
Browning's,  he,  the  said  Laurens,  allowing  Mrs.  Mary  Shore  to  sit  in  the  said  seat.  As  also 
it  is  ordered    that   William   Roscrow  hold  and   enjoy   the   seat  next    to  Coll.   Corry's  seat. 

Memorandum  that  John  Cole,   Esq.,  hath   made  good   his  father's 

[Sir  Michaers]  title  for  the  two  seats  joyning  to  the  minister's. 

The  above  is  the  only  place  in  which  I  have  found  military  rank  attached 
to  Laurence  Crawford's  name.  He  was  Colonel  Corry's  first  cousin  and  near 
neighbour,  and  probably  was  one  of  the  officers  of  the  company  or  the  troop 
which  the  latter  raised  in  1689.  Crawford  survived  till  1731,  when  his  will 
was  proved  25  Nov.  Although  he  was  himself  apparently  a  poor  man  when 
he  died,  his  five  sons  appear  to  have  been  successful  men.  Including  two  of 
them,  eight  of  his  descendants  have  been  High  Sheriffs  of  Fermanagh.  In 
the  Trinity  College  "entrance"  of  his  youngest  son,  John  (21  April,  1709-10) 
is  described  as  "  Filius  Laurentis,  Agricolae."  Vide  my  History  of  the  Carry 
Fajtiily^  pp.  62-6,  and  Table  3.  Captain  \Vm.  Browning  appears  to  have 
been  a  captain  in  Colonel  Creighton's  regiment  of  foot  [Henrfs  Upper  Lough 
Er>ie,  App.,  p.  77). 

THE  ANCIENT   HISTORY  OF   FERMANAGH  AT 
CHELTENHAM. 

I  may  now  give  a  short  account  of  the  third  part  of  the  Bethnm-Phi/Iipps 
MS. — that  part  which  relates  to  the  British  families  in  Fermanagh  in  17 18-9. 
The  book  has  evidently  at  some  time  been  long  without  a  cover,  and  conse- 
quently the  first  and  last  pages  are  faint,  and  not  easy  to  read.  In  my  hurried 
examination  I  omitted  to  observe  the  initial,  which  alone  indicates  the  writer; 
viz.,  I  or  T.  Sir  Charles  King,  in  his  Henrys  Upper  Lough  Erne,  ascribes 
the  MS.  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Madden  of  Manor  Waterhouse,  Co.  Ferma- 
nagh, and  sometime  f.t.c.d.,  the  founder  of  the  Madden  prize  in  the  College. 
From  its  rather  confused  style  and  bad  spelling,  and  from  the  circumstance 
that,  though  a  page  is  headed  Samuel  Maddett,  Es</.,^''  it  is  otherwise  blank, 
I  doubt  very  much  his  being  the  author.  The  writer,  whoever  he  was,  says 
that  he  had  waited  upon  some  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  county  at  the  assizes 

(1)  Dr.  Madden  was  still  a  layman  in  1719. 


30  GLEANINGS    FOR    FORMER    FERMANAGH    ARTICLES. 

to  try  and  get  details  from  them.  Notwithstanding  this,  the  MS.  is  still 
incomplete,  as  there  are  the  names  of  some  eleven  or  twelve  more  families 
in  the  Index  than  there  are  memoirs;  whilst  three  families  are  described 
whose  names  are  not  in  the  Index.     The  families  mentioned  are  as  follow  :  '^' 

Archdale,  Acheson,  Aghinleck,  Ahercromhy,  Balfour,'-'  Brook,  Cole,  Caldwell  (Bart.),'^' 
Crawford,  Creighton  of  Crom,  Creighton  of  Aghalane,  Corry,  Carleton,'-*'  Cathcart  (Malcolm), 
Cathcart  (Allan),  Cochran, '^t  Dunbar,*'"  Eccles,  Forster,  Gore  (Bart.),'")  Graton  (clerk), '«' 
Green  (clerk), '9*  Green  (Attorney),  Hume  (Bart.),  Hamilton  (formerly  of  Monea),  Hamilton 
(Chas.),  Hassard  (Jason),  Hassard  (Robt.,  High  Sheriff),  Humphrey,  Irwin,  Johnston  (of 
Magheramena),  Johnston  (James),  Johnston  (Walter),  King,  Leonard,  Luige,  Montgomery, 
Madden,  Mitchell  (clerk ),ii'"  Means,  Madison,  Noble,  Nixon,  Rynd,''^'  Rossgrove,  Smith 
(clerk  and  Esq.),(i2)  Smith, d''-' Trotter,!!-*' Willoughby,('5)  Wisheart,  Weir,  Ward,  and  Wilslow. 

Of  these  families,  the  following,  though  in  the  Index,  are  not  described  in 
the  body  of  the  work;  viz.,  Robert  Abercrombey,  David  Creighton  of  Crom, 
Gilbert  and  Joseph  Eccles,  Arthur  Fforster,  Samuel  Madden,  Rev.  Andrew 
Mitchell,  John  Means,  AVilliam  and  Thomas  Rossgrove,  Hugh  Willoughby, 
and  John  Winslow. 

The  following  are  described,  though  not  in  the  Index: — Chittog,  Laurence 
Crawford,  and  Anthony  Lucy. 

Of  these  families  some  are  no  longer  represented  in  the  county,  amongst 
whom  the  principal  are  Balfour  of  Lisnaskea,  Creighton  of  Aghalane,  Cochran 
of  Crevenish,  Eccles,'^*^'  Gore  (Bart.)  of  Belleisle,  Hume  (Bart.)  of  Castle 
Hume,'^"'  Hamilton  of  Monea,  Willoughby  and  Ward  of  Knockballymore. 
The  following  are  now  represented, in  the  county  through  a  female  descent : — ■ 
Archdale,  Corry,  Carleton,  Dunbar,  and  Rynd.  There  may  be  others  of 
whom   I  cannot  speak  positively  in  both  categories. 

The  MS.  also  gives  the  names  of  the  members  of  the  Corporation  of 
Enniskillen  in   17 19.      It  says   "their  number  is  15";  viz.,  John  Cole,  Esq.; 

(1)  This  is  a  list  of  families  only.  A  somewhat  longer  one,  mentioning  more  individuals,  with  their 
Christian  names,  will  be  found  in  King's  Henry's  Upper  Lough  Ertie,  pp.  S4-5,  taken  from  Notes  and  Queries 
of  4  Oct.,  1879. 

(2)  Now  represented  by  B.  T.  Balfour  of  Townley  Hall,  Co.  Louth. 

(3)  Represented  by  Bloomiield  and  Sir  Fenton  Hort,  Bart. 

(4)  Represented  by  Col.  Richardson  of  Rossfad. 

(5)  Was  the  representative  and,  I  think,  son-in-law  or  grandson  of  Henry  Blennerhasset,  M.i'. 

(6)  "  John  Dunbair,  Esq.,"  and  "  Mr.  Henry  Dunbair,  Gent."     Vide  vol.  i.,  pp.  265-6. 

(7)  Father  of  the  Earl  of  Ross.     Sir  Ralph  Gore,  Bart.,  is  now  head  of  this  family. 

(8)  The  Rev.  Wm.  Gratton,  who  died  in  1719,  married  a  daughter  of  Sir  Wm.  Gore.  His  brother,  the 
Rev.  Chas.  Gratton,  was  Head  Master  of  Enniskillen  Royal  School. 

(9)  The  Rev.  Wm.  Green  was  Rector  of  Villeshar  (Kilmore  diocese),  where  he  had  an  estate,  and  built  a 
Chapel  of  Ease.     He  married  a  sister  of  Col.  Abraham  Creighton. 

(10)  The  Rev.  Andrew  Mitchell  was  Rector  of  Enniskillen  1696-1743. 

(11)  Now  represented  Vjy  the  Denny  family. 

(12)  The  Rev.  John  Smith  was  Rector  of  Inismacsaint.     He  married  a  daughter  of  Sir  V'.m.  Gore,  Bart. 

(13)  Of  Thos.  Smith  it  is  stated  that  he  was  "a  freeholder  these  22  years  past  in  ye  pleasant  seate  of 
Lisgoole."  He  kept  "a  creditable  house  "  at  the  Castle  of  Lisgoole.  He  married  Mary  Connolly,  sister  of 
the  Rt.  Hon.  Wm.  Connolly,  "who  is  Lord  Justice  in  Ireland." 

(14)  John  Trotter,  gent.,  was  a  freeholder  in  Magheraboy,  and  kept  a  tanyard. 

(15)  Hugh  Willoughby  was  a  Montgomery  who  had  taken  that  name  in  lieu  of  his  own.  He  was  of 
Carrow,  in  the  Co.  Fermanagh,  though  near  Clones  ;  but  originally  of  Ballylessan,  Co.  Monaghan. 

(16)  1  cannot  e.xactly  identify  Gilbert  and  Robert  Eccles  ;  but  have  no  doubt  that  they  were  of  the  Tyrone 
family  near  Fintona,  now  represented  by  Mrs.  M'Clintock  of  Ecclesville  and  Seskinore.  This  family  formerly 
had  an  estate  in  the  Barony  of  Clancally,  Co.  Fermanagh. 

(17)  Except  so  far  as  the  Marquis  of  Ely  can  be  said  to  represent  the  Hume  family.     I'ide  vol.  i.,  p.   274. 


Gr.EANINGS    FOR    FORMER    FERMANAGH    ARTICLES.  31 

Gustavus  Hume,  Bart;  David  Rynd,  Esq.;  Jason  Hassard,  Esq.;  Michael 
Cole,  Esq.'''  (in  the  margin  is  "let  Michael  Cole  he  placed  after  Gustavus 
Hamilton,  Bart.");  Robert  Hassard,  High  Sheriff;  John  Rynd,  Esq.;  Richard 
Hassard,  gent. ;  William  Rossgrow,  gent.  ;•''  Thomas  Rossgrow,  gent. ;  Andrew 
Mitchell,  cleark  ;'■"'  James  Cleark,  gent.     [3  vacancies.] 

I  have  a  note  (on  the  same  paper  as  the  above)  that  the  churches  first 
built  after  the  Reformation  in  the  neighbourhood  were  Enniskillen,  Rossory, 
Dromenagh  (by  Sir  John  Hume),  Derrygonnelly  (by  Sir  John  Dunbar), 
Rossbeg  (by  Sir  James  Caldwell),   and  Kille.sher  (by  the  Rev.  Wm.  Grean). 

THE   HUME  AND  CALDWELL   FA^HLIES  IN   FERMANA(;H. 

At  page  273  of  vol.  i.  I  stated  that  Katherine,  one  of  the  daughters  of  Sir 
John  Hume,  Bart.,  had  married  Sir  James  Caldwell;  and  that  another,  Ann, 
had  married  Colonel  Hugh  Caldwell,  brother  of  Sir  Henry.  I  did  so  from 
information  apparently  derived  from  P/ayfaiVs  Bafouefai^e  (edit.  181 1). 
Having  since  had  occasion  to  look  into  the  Caldwell  pedigree,  I  was 
met  with  this  difficulty — that  unless  Sir  James  Caldwell  was  twice  married 
(which  does  not  seem  to  have  been  the  case),  Hugh  Caldwell  must  have 
married  his  aunt.  Drummond's  A'^ol'Ie  Bntish  Families,  sub-tit.  Hume, 
makes  Katherine  Hume  to  have  l)een  the  wife  of  Henry  Caldwell,'^'  and  that 
is  the  family  tradition.  Playfair,  in  his  text,  says  that  Sir  James  Caldwell 
married  Janet  or  Kaf/ierine,  daughter  of  Sir  John  Hume,  and  that  his  son 
Henry  died  vita  patris ;  although  in  a  footnote  he  calls  him  Sir  Henry. 
I  have  since  seen  a  note  of  a  chancery  bill  filed  31  ALarch,  171 1,'"  which 
shows  that  Katherine  (Hume)  was  the  wife  of  Henry  Caldwell  ;  and  I  have 
obtained  extracts  relating  to  both  families  from  the  Betliam  MS.  at  Thirlestane 
House,  Cheltenham,  relating  to  the  British  Families  in  Fermanai:;h,  1718-ig, 
which  I  subjoin.  It  will  be  seen  that  no  light  is  thrown  upon  the  identity  of 
Sir  James  Caldwell's  wife,  whose  Christian  name  may  probably  have  been 
Janet."'' 

(1)  Son  of  Sir  Michael,  and  a  Captain  in  Col.  A.  Creighton's  regiment. 

(2)  Probably,  Rossgrove,  Rossgrow,  Rosscrow,  and  Rossborough  were  variations  of  the  same  name. 

(3)  In  my  notes  I  have  it  "John  Mitchell,  cleark."  But  I  find  that  no  one  of  these  names  graduated 
about  then  in  T.C.D.    His  signatures  in  the  Vestry  book,  "And."  Mitchell,  might  easily  be  mistaken  lor  "  Jno." 

(4)  The  will  of  Sir  Henry  Caldwell  was  proved  in  1726  (I'kars  Index  of  the  Prerogative  Wills,  p  72). 
His  son  Sir  John's  will  was  proved  in  1774. 

(.'i)  In  the  P.R.O.  in  the  Repertory  of  Decrees  in  Chanceiy,  vol.  iii.,  p.  305,  we  find  a  bill  — Hester 
Creighton  [formerly  Hume],  widow,  plaintiff;  Sir  Augustus  Hume,  Hart.,  Henry  Caldwell,  Esq.,  and 
Catherine  his  wife,  Robert  Johnston  and  Mary  his  wife,  and  Major-Geiieral  Gustavus  Hamilton  [afterwards 
viscount  Royne],  defendants.  The  decree,  13  Match,  1713,  awarded  plaintitT  ^^280,  her  share  of /i, 400  which 
had  been  bequeathed  or  appointed  by  their  father  to  her  late  brother,  Claud  Hume.  Robert  Johnston  was 
probably  the  Lieutenant  of  that  name  in  Brigadier  Wolseley's  Horse,  and  perhaps  son  of  the  person  who  was 
attainted  as  Robert  Johnston  of  Aghanuce,  Esq.  In  the  Betham-Fhitlipfs  MS.  at  Cheltenham  we  find — 
"  Mr.  Robert  Johnston  of  Gannan,  a  gent-  freehoulder  in  ye  Barroney  of  Magheriboy,  is  reputed  a  Gent,  of 
credit  in  the  County  well  friended  and  related  by  consanguinity  and  affinitye."  In  the  1689  attainder  list 
we  find— "  Robert  Johnston  of  Ginnavan,  gent." 

(6)  I  think  that  the  following  extracts  from   the  Enniskillen  parish  register  must  relate  to  children  of  Sir 

James  Caldwell:     1669  [immediately  before  6]  Feb.  [ to  ].      Mr.  Ja:  Colhvell,  R.  Bap. 

[N.B. — The  letter  R.,  meaning  Rector  is  written  in  after  the  original  entry  had  been  made.]  1671.  May  31, 
Jane,  daughter  to  Mr.  Ja:  Caldwell,  Bapt.  1672.  Jully  20,  Ja;  son  to  Ja;  Caldwell,  R.  Bapt.  J.illy  22,  Ja: 
son  to  Ja:  Caldwell,  Rector,  buried. 


32  GLEANINGS    FOR    FORMER    FERMANAGH    ARTICLES. 

CALDWELL    IN    FERMANAGH. 

The  chief  of  this  worthy  family  in  Fermanagh  is  Sir  Henry  Caldwell,  Barr" ,  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  gent  in  our  northern  partes,  for  his  hospitable  wayes  of  living,  and  commerce 
by  sea  and  land,  whereby  all  merchants  and  dealers  in  y«  border  of  Ulster  and  Conaght  are 
much  supported  these  many  yeares  past,  being  a  man  of  great  credit  and  correspondence  in 
forringe  countryes,  and  married  in  the  honorable  family  of  Sir  John  Hume,  Bar",  his 
daughter,  whose  description  is  elsewhere  in  this  book,  and  by  this  Lady  begott  his  son  and 
heire,  John  Caldwell,  Esq''<=.  His  father  was  Sir  James  Caldwell,  Barronett,'!' a  man  of  lofty 
principles,  lover  of  sciences,  and  a  great  lavisher  among  nobility  ;  he  was  a  portly  able  man 
in  person,  a  skilful  headpiece  in  lawsuits,  a  Terrour  to  his  adversaries,  a  Tower  of  defence 
for  his  adherents ;  he  enlarged  by  purchase  his  estates  in  the  countyes  of  Fermanagh  and 
Cavan  ;  he  was  justice  of  the  quorum  and  Collonell  in  y<=  Militia,  and  died  in  y*^  yeare  1716, 
and  is  buried  in  y*  chappie  of  ease  built  at  his  own  expence  in  y"^  stately  seate  of  Rossbegg,'^' 
neare  his  dwelling-house.  He  was  blessed  with  four  hopeful  sons,  besides  daughters. '•'' 
Y^  eldest  son,  named  John,  was  bredd  in  the  Ens  of  Court  in  France,  and  dyed  at  London 
in  y"=  reigne  of  King  Charles  y*^  second,  and  was  buried  in  the  Church  of  Howburne,  in 
London.  The  second  son  was  Charles,  a  hopeful  young  gent,  being  Coll"  under  y*^  command 
of  Brigader  Connigham,  dyed  at  London  in  King  William's  reigne,  and  was  buried  w"'  his 
brother  in  Howburne. '■*>  These  two  eldest  sons  dyed  without  lawful  heirs.  Sir  Henry,  who 
now  succeeds,  was  the  third  son,  and  y^  youngest  was  Hugh  Caldwell,  a  bright  young  gent, 
very  remarkable  for  valour  and  forwardness.  He  was  Coll"  under  y'^  command  of  Brigader 
Ross,  and  in  y^  warrs  at  Flanders,'''''  being  mortally  wounded,  whereby  in  ten  days  time  he 
dyed,  whose  death  was  much  lamented.  His  family  beareth  in  their  atchievnits  and  ensign 
armoriall — Three  spring  wells,  a  hand  and  dagger. 

We  learn  from  Playfair  that  a  grandson  of  Sir  Henry,  Colonel  Hume 
Caldwell,  a  very  distinguished  officer  in  the  service  of  the  Empress  Queen 
Maria  Theresa,  died  of  a  wound  received  in  action  in  1762,  in  the  27th  year 
of  his  age.  The  Empress  sent  his  mother '"'  a  gold  enamelled  snuff-box  as  a 
mark  of  her  sense  of  the  value  of  his  services.  This  was  made  an  heirloom 
by  the  will  of  his  brother.  Sir  James  Caldwell,  proved  in  1784,  to  go  with  his 
title  of  Count  of  Milan,  or,  if  that  failed,  to  the  representative  of  his  family. 
The  Dublin  Chronicle  oi  7  Aug.,  1788,  says  that  a  Sunday-school  was  instituted 
"at  Enniskillen  under  the  patronage  of  Sir  James  Caldwell,  Bart.,  and  Jas. 
Hall,  Esq.  (which  now  consists  of   180  children),   who  pay  James    Kiernan 

(1)  Sir  James  Caldwell's  will  was  proved  25  March,  1717.  He  was  son  of  John  Caldwell,  of  Enniskillen, 
merchant,  by  his  second  wife,  Mary  Swetenham  {Piay/air).  She  re-marriod  Henry  Longford,  of  Enniskillen. 
(See  vol.  i.,  p.  203,  fifth  note.) 

(2)  Or  Castle  Caldwell. 

(8)  One  daughter,  Elizabeth,  was  remarkable  for  having  conveyed  gunpowder  to  Enniskillen  during  the 
troubles  of  1688-9.  She  died  unmarried.  Another  daughter,  Edith,  married  Col.  Chas.  Newcombe.  Jane 
married  [I  think]  James  Johnston,  of  Magheramena,  vifho  was  High  Sheriff  of  Fermanagh  in  1707  ;  whilst 
Frances  married  Edward  Archdall,  but  died  v.p.  Sir  James  Caldwell  was  High  Sheriff  of  Fernian.agh  in 
1664,  before  he  was  a  baronet  ;  and  his  son  Henry  in  1693. 

(4)  In  Dr.  King's  list  of  persons  attained  in  1689  he  appears  as  Charles  Caldwell,  of  Bellick,  Esq.  fson 
and  heir  apparent  of  Sir  James  Caldwell).  In  that  list  Sir  James  is  entered  as  of  "Bellick,  Bart.,"  but  in 
the  list  in  Harris  as  of  "  Dublin  City." 

(5)  At    the   battle   of   Mons,  in   1705  (Play/air).      His   father,    in    his  will,   made    in    1711,   ordered    his 
to  "send  over"  for  "the  corps"  of  his  son  Hugh,  deceased. 

(6)  The  Dowager  Lady  Caldwell,  born  Anne  Trench,  daughter  of  the  Dean  of  Raphoe,  John  Trench, 
of  Lord   Ashtown.     Her  sister  Judith    married   Sir  Samuel   Cooke,    Bart.,    m.f.    for  the   city   of 

Dublin. 


GLEANINGS    FOR    FORMER    FERMANAGH    ARTICLES. 


33 


/ 


^i8  4s.  for  superintending  the  school."     The  following,  extracted  from  the 
Cheltenham  MS.,  relates  to  the  Hume  family  : 

HUME. 

The  antiquities  of  the  Hon'^'^  family  of  Hume  is  dayly  expected  from  Scotland  these  many 
dayes  past,  which  kept  this  small  history  from  y«  press  this  halfe-yeare  past,  it  being  improper 
to  comprehend  a  history  of  y«  Co.  of  Ferm^  and  y^  description  of  y«=  most  leading  man  thereof 
lacking  ;  but  since  noe  further  time  can  be  limiited,  I  hope  i  may  be  e.\cusable  in  presuming 
to  ensert  such  description  of  y'=  said  family  as  I  coud  in  the  best  wise  comprehend. 

The  chief  of  this  Remarkable  family  in  Fernis  is  the  Rt.  Hon>''"=  Sr  Gustavus  Hume,  B', 
one  of  his  Maj""  most  hon'ble  privy  Counsill  and  K'  of  y=  Royall  Chamber,'!'  K'  of  y«=  Shyre 
in  pari"",  being  one  of  the  most  leading  men  in  our  Northern  partes,  and  married  in 
y=  hon'ble  family  to  y^^  Lady  Else  or  Elizabeth,  daughter  to  y«  Lord  Moore,  Earl  of  Uroughe- 
dathe.  His  father  was  Sir  John  Hume,  Barr',  of  Ca.stle  Hume,  being  one  of  y<=  most  stately 
and  sumptuous  buildings  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  situate  in  a  Commodious  and  pleasant  place 
bordering  ye  famous  water  of  Lough  Earn,  encompased  with  pleasant  emprovm'^  and 
ornamental  buildings,  and  fertill  pleasant  •  landes,  ab'  2  English  miles  north-west  from 
Iniskillin,  where  this  famous  gentleman  spent  ye  most  of  his  dayes  under  a  renowned 
character  of  honr  honesty  and  charily,  and  still  gov'nor  in  the  county  untill  he  dyed  on 
Midsum''  Eve  in  ye  yeare  of  Christ  i6 — [1695].  I^'s  Ladye  was  daughter  of  ye  worshipfull 
James  Hamilton,  Esq"'*,  who  was  son  and  heire  to  ye  hon'ble  Sir  Frederick  Hamilton  of 
Maner  Hamilton,  and  dyed  without  heires  Male,  so  y'  his  Estate  in  ye  county  of  Litrim  fell 
by  inheritance  to  his  two  daughters  and  their  heires,  one  of  whom  married  to  Sr  Willm 
Gore,  Barr",'-'  betwixt  whom  ye  said  estate  was  divided  and  confirmed  to  their  heires  for 
ever.  Sir  John's  father,  the  Hon'ble  Sr  George  Hume,  Barr" ,  dyed  in  Edenborrough  in 
the  yeare  of  Christ  16 — ,  his  grandfather,  Sir  John  Hume,  being  y^  first  of  this  hon'able 
family,  who  came  to  Fermanagh  in  the  Reigne  of  King  James  the  first  of  England,  to  whom 
y*^  King  granted  a  large  Estate  in  Fermanagh,  computed  to  foure  large  Manners  fertil  good 
landes,  which  estate,  w"'  y'  in  ye  County  Leitrim,  belongs  to  ye  now  extant  the  Rt.  Honble 
Sr  Gustavus  Hume,  Bar",  whose  ancestors  in  Scotland  were  eminent  Members  in  Church 
and  State,  as  are  intimated  in  y'^  Scotch  herald[ry].  Their  ancient  seate  was  at  North 
Barrick  in  East  Loudon  in  Scotland,  the  coate  of  Arms  is  in  Sir  Cjcorge  Makenney's  heraldry. 
Two  Rampant  Lyons  and  six  pipingoes  is  held  in  their  armour  here. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  relate  the  following  incident,  as  showing  the 
length  to  which  the  system  of  sinecures  was  carried  in  the  last  century.  The 
fourth  baronet  of  the  Caldwell  family  was  Sir  James,  elder  brother  of  Col. 
Hume,  who  served  under  the  Empress  Queen,  and  who  had  himself  in  his 
youth  been  in  Her  Imperial  Majesty's  service,  and  was  by  her  created  Count 
of  Milan  in  the  Holy  Roman  Empire,  and  presented  with  a  diamond  ring  off 
her  finger,  of  which  he  says  in  his  will  (1782)  :  "Which  ring,  by  her  order,  we 
bear  in  the  breast  of  the  Imperial  eagle,  crowned  as  a  particular  mark  of 
distinction."  After  Sir  John  had  returned  to  Ireland  he  raised  a  regiment  of 
light  horse,  which  in  course  of  time  came  to  be  reduced,  and  the  officers  placed 
on  half-pay.  The  Earl  of  Halifax,  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland,  earnestly 
requested,  at  the  instigation  of  the  then  Secretary  to  Pitt,  and  cousin-german  to 
Mrs.  Higginbotham,  widow  to  the  Rev.  Thomas  Higginbotham,  late  chaplain 
to  Sir  James's  light  horse,  that  he  (Sir  James)  would  permit  the  said  Widow 


(1)  He  means,  probably,  a  gentleman  of  the  King's  Privy  Chambe 

(2)  Grandfather  of  the  Earl  of  Ross  of  Belleisle,  Co,  Fermanagh. 


C 


34 


GLEANINGS    FOR    FORMER    FERMANAGH    ARTICLES. 


Higginbotham  to  sell  the  chaplaincy  for  the  benefit  of  a  numerous  family,  which 
chaplaincy  was  in  his  disposal  as  commander  of  the  said  regiment.  Lord 
Halifax  had  promised,  if  he  consented  to  it,  to  give  him,  in  place  of  such 
chaplaincy,  the  first  lieutenancy  or  cornetcy  that  happened  to  become  vacant  in 
his  light  horse,  to  sell  or  dispose  of  in  trust,  as  the  regiment  was  then  going 
to  be  reduced  for  the  benefit  of  the  half-pay,  to  him  and  his  family  after 
his  death.  A  cornetcy  happened  to  be  the  first  commission  vacant  just 
before  the  reduction,  and  Sir  John  thought  it  more  to  his  advantage, 
and  that  of  his  family  after  him,  to  request  some  friend  to  take  it  in 
trust,  that  the  half-pay  might  be  paid  to  them  respectively.  A  relation  and 
intimate  friend  and  neighbour  accordingly  did  so;  and,  "accepting  a  small 
token  of  his  affection,"  passed  some  papers  relative  to  his  agreeing  to  this, 
and  lodged  them  at  Castle  Caldwell.  Sir  John,  therefore,  bequeathed  the 
cornet's  half-pay  to  his  son  Josiah,  requesting  his  worthy  friend  to  be  so  kind 
as  to  be  regular  in  sending  to  one  of  the  guardians  of  his  children  the  certifi- 
cates, that  he  might  receive  the  half  pay  to  be  laid  out  for  his  son's  benefit, 
till  he  should  have  some  business  or  employment  which  should  bring  him 
^loo  a  year;  and  after  that  to  send  the  certificates  to  one  of  the  executors 
to  receive  the  half-pay  in  trust,  to  be  equally  divided  amongst  his  daughters, 
or  the  survivors  of  them,  share  and  share  alike.  This  arrangement  no 
doubt  gave  rise  to  a  story,  which  I  heard  in  former  days,  that  the  last  survivor 
of  the  daughters,  who  was  a  family  connection  of  my  own,  and  whom  I 
vaguely  recollect  having  seen  nearly  50  years  ago,  had  held  a  commission  as  a 
cornet  of  dragoons.  I  suppose  the  Rev.  Thomas  Higginbotham  to  have  been 
the  curate  of  Enniskillen,  after  the  Rev.  Gustavus  Hamilton,  about  1734,'^' 
and  his  widow  to  have  been  the  lady  whose  burial  entry,  at  the  age  of  96, 
appears  in  the  Enniskillen  Register,  3  Nov.,  1778;  whilst  another  Rev. 
Thomas   Higginbotham — probably  her  son — was  buried  there,  14  Feb.,  1790. 

ERRATA   AND    ADDENDA. 

Vol.  i.,  page  267,  lines  14,  15. — I  have  there  spoken  of  Paul  Dane's  wife  as  Eliza 
Martin  (as  tradition  has  it)  ;  but  he  married  Eliza  Story,  18  Sept.,  1680  (Enniskillen  P. R.). 
I  find  that  Christopher  Martin  made  a  bequest  of  ;^io  to  his  grandchild,  EUynor  Story, 
27  Nov.,  1680  ;  and  I  suspect  that  Paul  Dane  had  no  previous  wife,  and  that  Eliza  Story  was 
also  Martin's  grand-daughter. 

Vol.  ii.,  page  120,  note  2. — It  appears  from  Graham's  Derriana  that  the  James  Currv 
who  signed  the  Declaraticn  of  Union  at  Londonderry,  21  March,  168;;,  was  not  James 
Corry  of  Castlecoole. 

Ibid.,  page  126,  line  7. — It  seems  from  the  date  of  the  grant  of  probate  of  Paul  Dane's 
prerogative  will,  viz.,  7  Feb.,  174^,  that  the  date  of  his  death,  ;i;t.  98,  given  as  4  Jan.,  1746, 
was  174^. 

Ibid.,  page  206,  line  51. — I  suspect  that  the  John  Deane,  who  was  a  lieutenant  in 
Wolseley's  horse,  was  too  old  to  have  been  Paul  Dane's  son  John,  who  married  Elizabeth 
Auchinleck  in  1730,  and  that  he  was  the  person  who  signed  the  Enniskillen  address  to  King 
William  and  (^ueen  Mary  in  1689. 

Ibid.,  page  240,  line  30.  —  Mrs.  Rampain's  Ijrother  there  mentioned  was  named  John 
J\Iayer. 

Ibid.,  note  4.  — P\)r  Mrs.  Chai>ipion  read  Mrs.  Rampain. 

(1)  There  is  a  gap  in  the  old  Vestry  Pjook  of  Enniskillen  from  about  1730-4.  Hamilton  was  curate 
before  it,  and  Higginbotliam  after  it. 


Xa\>^c,  Cushcnball,  Co.  autiitn. 

By  FRANCIS  JOSEI'II   BIGCiEK  and  WILLIAM  J.   FKNNELL. 


AYDE  Old  Church  seems  to  be  but  little 

known  and  less  cared  for,  and — like  many 

others     we     could     mention  —  slowly    but 

surely  dropping  out  of  existence,   almost 

forgotten,  and  well  nigh  neglected. 

^  It  stands  in  a  little  valley,  close   to   a 

-o  m  mountain  stream,  which,  a  few  yards  further 

■  on,  renders  its  "  tribute  wave  "  to  the  sea 

^^  at  Port  Obe,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  north 

'^^^  of  Cushendall.     The  view  from  the  western 

•*^^P  tower  of  the  church,  over  the  Irish  Sea, 

and  away  to  the  hills  of  Scotland,  is  very 

striking,  with  the  steep  banks  of  the  ravine 

ng  a  scene  of  wild  beauty,  that  must  have  influenced 

seeking  a  place  suitable  for  the  worship  of  God. 

now  stands  is  rectangular,  long  and  narrow,  and,  owing 


Map  of  Cushendall  / 

on  each  side  vignett: 
the  old  builders  when 
The  church  as  it 
to  successive  changes 
and  additions,  is  diffi- 
cult to  grasp,  or  to 
treat  with  any  em- 
phatic degree  of  cer- 
tainty. The  west  end 
seems  to  have  been 
an  addition  in  the 
nature  of  a  tower, 
"clapped"  on  to  the 
west  wall,  and  con- 
tains a  vaulted  cham- 
ber on  the  same  level 
as  the  floor  of  the 
church.  This  seems 
to  have  been  ap- 
proached by  a  pecu- 
liarly constructed 
door  in  the  west 
gable  (fig.  i),  while 
the  exterior  door 
opposite  to  it  ^may 
have   been   a   recent 


<D  Layue. 


Fig, 


36 


LAYDE,    CUSHENDALL,    CO.    ANTRIM. 


opening  when  it  was  converted  into  a  place  of  interment.  It  is  impossible 
to  form  any  very  clear  idea  of  the  use  of  this  compartment.  The  vault  is  low 
and  poorly  formed,  and  the  chamber,  or  dormitory  (fig.  2),  over  it  must  have 


Vfp)jgprprcJ70lrnl3(S^- 


— •  (v^hoDotorl  h- 


FlG.   2. 


been  reached  by  an  exterior  door,  as  no  trace  of  any  stairs  exists,  nor  are 
there  any  fireplaces.  Any  door  dressings  that  may  at  one  time  have  been 
used  are  now  lost.  A  well  formed  and  well  constructed  window  in  the  west 
gable  of  the  church  still  remains,  from  which  service  in  the  church  could  be 
heard  and  seen  from  the  upper  chamber  of  the  tower.  This  window  had 
interior  jambs  of  well-dressed  stone,  and,  at  one  time,  was  protected  by  a 
vertical  iron  bar  let  into  the  stone  head  and  sill.  The  masonry  of  this 
addition  is  very  different  from  that  of  the  church  (fig.  3). 

The  church  is  fifty-six  feet  nine  inches  long  by  eighteen  feet  three  inches 
wide  inside,  and  the  existence  of  a  piscina  and  ambry  (fig.  4)  about  thirty-three 
feet  from  the  west  wall  would  naturally  lead  to  the  idea  that  at  one  time  the 
chancel  wall  was  only  a  few  feet  eastward  of  them,  and  that  it  was  removed  and 
the  chancel  extended.  This  we  are  inclined  to  believe,  as  the  dressings  and 
the  work  of  the  eastern  portion  is  of  a  more  advanced  character,  the  window 
jambs  being  well  cut,  chamfered,  grooved  for  the  glass,  and  protected,  and 
the  internal  jambs  built  of  well-worked  cut  stone. 

The  south  doorway  has  a  semi-circular  arch,  of  poor  workmanship,  over 
which  has  been  inserted  a  stone  with  the  more  modern  date  of  1696,  cut  in 


LAYDK,    CUSHENDALL,    CO.    ANTRIM. 


37 


raised  figures.  This  stone  had 
been  originally  in  the  east 
wall.  It  was  lying  for  many 
years  on  a  gravestone,  against 
the  interior  west  wall,  and  was 
inserted  over  the  doorway,  about 
eight  years  ago,  by  the  late  Rev. 
Dr.  Johnston,  of  Belfast.  The 
old  church  was  used  for  service 
until  about  1790,  and  had  a 
thatched  roof  After  it  became 
unfit  for  use,  service  was  held  for 
years  in  a  house  in  High  Street, 
Cushendall, which  is  still  standing. 
This  house  has  also  the  distinction 
of  being  the  earliest  hotel  in  the 
village,    and    is    still    spoken    of 


*^cjian- 


I^^^^J^fe; 


Fig.  4. 


■■•  3- 


as  "The  Old  Inn."  A  church  was  built  by 
private  contributions  in  1800  on  the  hill  at 
the  north-west  of  the  village,  called  Cairns, 
close  to  the  present  Fair  Green.  There  is 
not  a  trace  of  this  church  now  remaining. 
It  is  said  it  was  never  consecrated.  The 
stones  were  all  removed  to  build  the  present 
Parish  Church  in  1832. 

The  last  clergy  who  officiated  in  Layde 
Old  Church  were  the  McArthurs,  pater  et 
filius.  Their  graves  are  close  to  the  piscina, 
against  the  south  wall  in  the  interior  of  the 
church.  They  were  curates  in  charge;  Layde 
and  Ardchnis  being  then  held  in  cominetidam 
by  the  Rectors  of  Agherton  (Portstewart), 
as  treasurers  of  Connor.  For  well-nigh  the 
whole     of     the     seventeenth     century     the 


38  LAYDE,    CUSHENDALL,    CO.    ANTRIM. 

McArthurs  faithfully  ministered  in  the  old  church,  and  are  still  spoken  of 
with  affection  by  the  older  inhabitants  of  Layde.  The  Reverend  John 
McArthur  must  have  been  interred  in  the  nave  of  the  church  when  it  was 
used  for  worship,  whilst  the  Reverend  Dennis  McArthur  was  interred  in  the 
same  grave  about  the  time  it  was  given  up. 

The  following  is  the  inscription  upon  their  gravestone  :  '^' 

"    Here    lies    the    remains    of 

The    Revd   John    M'=  Arthur 
Conspicuous    for    Universal    Benevolence 
unstained    integrity    and     private     worth 

He  departed  this  life  on  the 
27"'   day  of  Feb''-    17 16  Aged    65    Years 

Also 

Margaret  Rofs  his  wife 

who  died  Oct.""-   16"^  1761  Aged  75  Years 

Also 

their    son    the   Rev'd    Dennis    M'^Arthur 

He  departed  this  life 

on  the  11"'  of  Jan.    1796  in  the  82'"^  Year  of  his  age 

Also 

his  sister  Mrs  Elizabeth  M'^Arthur 

who    died    on    the    15"'  of  Feb.  1796  Aged   77  Years 

[  ]  disjoin   whom   Christ    hath   join'd   in   Love 

[  ]  h[ear]ts  to  death  and  death  to  life  above 
In  Heaven's  a  happier  place  frail  things  despise 
Live     well     to     gain      in      future      life      the      prize. 

This     monument     is      erected      by     Mrs      M'^Arthur 

Widow    of    the    late     Col.     M'^Arthur,    son     to     the 

ReV^     John      M'^Arthur     as      a      memorial     of     her 

affection  and  their  (virtue) 

Mar  i^'  1797 

At  the  north-east  angle  is  a  curious  aperture  in  the  wall,  which  may 
have  been  used  for  scaffolding,  although  its  position  leaves  little  room  to 
assign  any  use  for  it.  The  north  wall  shows  traces  of  two  built-up  arches, 
but  for  what  purpose  these  arches  were  made  cannot  be  discerned,  as  the 
river  runs  close  along  the  wall,  thus  preventing  much  building  on  that  side. 
Fig.  5  depicts  a  window  in  the  north  wall. 

(1)  I  am  indebted  to  Herbert  Thompson,  The  Rectory,  Layde,  for  this  inscription.  It  is  very 
much  worn,  and  undecipherable  in  many  places,  and  will  in  a  few  years  be  quite  so,  as  it  is  much  trodden 
upon.  It  is,  therefore,  very  pleasing  to  be  able  to  preserve  it  even  in  print  ;  but  I  wish  to  do  more. 
A  very  small  sum  will  re-cut  the  inscription,  and  thus  preserve  for  many  more  years  to  come  the  memory  of 
two  worthy  men  in  their  old  church ;  and  for  this  purpose  several  sums  have  been  promised  to  me.  A  few 
more  will  suffice,  and  I  will  have  the  work  done  under  the  supervision  of  the  rector.  The  amounts  contiibultd, 
and  the  work  done.  I  hope  to  record  in  a  subsequent  part  of  this  journal.  — P\  J.  B.,  Ed. 


LAYDK,    CUSHENDALL,    CO.    ANTRIM. 


39 


c 

-^- 

«^ 

^ 

-4i 

___^ 

The  internal  faces  of  the 
walls  appear  to  have  been 
plastered  at  one  time.  No 
trace  of  the  original  floor  or 
roof  remains.  The  present 
door  sill  is  a  little  higher 
than  the  ground  inside,  while 
successive  burials  outside  have 
raised  the  ground  level  in 
some  places  to  nearly  half  the 
height  of  the  walls.  The 
whole  eastern  end  of  the 
interior  of  the  church  is  now 
occupied  by  a  modern,  ugly, 
slated  vault  of  the  Macaulay 
family. 

When  the  original  build- 
ing fell  into  ruin  cannot  now 
be  accurately  known;  but  it 
was  doubtless  burned  and 
harried  during  some  of  the 
frequent  feuds  between  the 
clans  of  O'Neill  and  Mac- 
Donnell,  if  not  at  the  hands 
of  Shane  O'Neill  himself,  who 
burned  all  before  him  from 
Glenarm  to  Ballycastle,  and 
now  sleeps  a  few  short  miles 
away  at  Ballyteerini,  on  the 
heights      above     Cushendun, 

where  he  held  his  last  feast,  and  fell  a  victim  to  the  rage  of  the  MacDonnells, 
expiating  the  many  slaughters  he  had  inflicted  on  that  clan  in  their  own 
territory.  Layde  was,  next  to  Bunnamargie,  the  favourite  burial-place  of  the 
MacDonnells,  and  is  still  used  by  the  descendants  of  that  princely  race. 
The  west  end  of  the  church  is  sacred  to  their  dust,  and  many  quaint  armorial 
stones  record  their  name  and  lineage.  These  armorial  stones  bear  three 
mottoes  :  Semper  paratis,  Tout  jours  pref,  and  Sivord  in  hand.  The  last 
motto  is  attached  to  the  arms  on  the  western  face  of  the  stone,  recording 
the  death  of  the  son  of  "Alex.  M'Donald,  ]Major-(ienerall  and  Knight  of  the 
Field,"  and  the  fourth  quarter  of  the  shield  bears  a  sword.  The  eastern  face 
has  the  ordinary  arms,  with  the  motto  Tout  jours  pret,  and  no  sword  on  the 
shield,  and  records  the  death  of  other  sons  of  this  Knit^kt  of  the  Meld. 


40 


I,AYJ)E,    CUSHENDAI.I.,    CO.    ANTRIM. 


fvA 


Tower  and  West  Gable. 


♦  ^(^G-sion  ♦  on  >^p-.fi' 


— =T 

Tower  and  West  Door  into  Church. 

parish    of    Kanturk.       His    sword    had    a    ball    ten 
wheel  through  it  on  a  rod  at  the   back,  which,  run 


This  Alexander,  or 
Alaster,  MacDonnell 
was  a  man  of  great 
prowess,  and  fought  as 
Major  -  General  under 
Montrose  in  the  Scot- 
tish wars.  Montrose 
knighted  him  on  Both- 
well  Field,  after  express- 
ing the  most  flattering 
approval  of  his  conduct. 
He  escaped  the  sub- 
sequent horrible  slaugh- 
ter by  the  Covenanters, 
only  to  fall  at  a  place 
called  Cnocnanos,  in 
the  County  Cork,  on 
the  13th  of  November, 
1647,  at  the  hands  of 
one  Major  Pardon,  who 
shot  him  in  the  head. 
It  is  said  that  Purdon 
had  to  fight  a  duel 
every  year  for  seven 
years  for  this  act.  Sir 
Alaster  was  buried  in 
the  O'Callaghan  tomb 
at  Clonmeena,  in  the 
pounds  weight,  with  a 
ning  from   hilt  to  point. 


U  u  ^ 


•■^J- 


LAYDE,    CUSHENDALL,    CO.    ANTRIM.  4 1 

gave  a  fearful  impetus  to  his  blows.'^'  This  is  the  sword  depicted  upon  the 
shield  carved  on  his  sons'  tomb,  and  accounts  for  the  unusual  motto, 
Swoni  in   hand. 

There    are    in    all    five    MacDonnell   armorial  stones   in    the   churchyard, 
four    of    them    showing    the    usual    su[)porters    of    a    man    and    an    eagle. 


Thk  Mac  Do 


and  one  (the  Rev.  Daniel  MacDonnell's)  void  of  the  supporters.  The 
latter  is  on  a  table  tomb  facing  the  west,  as  is  customary  with  the  grave- 
stones of  priests.  To  the  west  of  the  tower,  and  quite  close  to  the  fence,  a 
beautiful  cross  has  been  erected  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  James  MacDonnell,  of 
Belfast.  It  rather  mars  the  value  of  this  cross  when  it  is  known  to  be 
made  of  metal,  with  a  covering  of  some  cement-like  material  in  imitation  of 
stone.     Some   excellent   Celtic  ornament  is   depicted  upon  it,  but  there  are 

(1)  See  Rev.  George  Hill's  AlacDonneih  0/  An/r/m,  p.ige  114. 


42 


LAYDE,    CUSHENDALL,    CO.    ANTRIM. 


some  figures  and  symbols  quite  out  of  keeping  with  ancient  Irish  art,  such  as 
the  winged  figure  of  S.  Michael,  with  a  shield,  upon  which  is  depicted  a  Saint 
George's  cross.  Shamrocks  are  also  shown  growing  out  of  the  ground  in  a 
representation  of  the  Good  Samaritan.  These  incorrect  details,  are,  however, 
compensated  for  in  the  noble  appearance  of  the  cross  when  viewed  from  a 
distance,  forming,  as  it  does,  the  distinctive  feature  of  the  graveyard. 
Close  to  the  east  end  of  the  MacDonnell  burial-ground,  and  partly  buried  in 
the  earth,  is  a  very  rude  stone  with  no  decipherable  letters,  but  having 
armorial  bearings  cut  deep  upon  its  surface.     These  are  now  much  worn,  but 


Unknow 


are  fairly  depicted  in  the  above  drawing  made  from  a  rubbing.  Concerning 
these  arms  nothing  is  known,  nor  can  John  Vinycomb,  im.r.i.a.,  throw  any  light 
upon  them.  If  any  reader  of  this  journal  could  elucidate  this  knotty  question, 
he  would  be  doing  good  work.  In  other  portions  of  the  ground,  particularly 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  gate,  there  are  many  burial-places  built  around  with 
walls  and  pointed  entrance  arches,  which  give  an  antiquated  air  to  the  place; 
but  these  structures  are  not  of  ancient  date. 


MacDonn 


LAYDE,  CUSHENDALL,  CO.  ANTRIM. 


43 


The  following  are  complete  copies  of  all  the  MacDonnell  inscriptions  in 
Layde  churchyard  : 

Here  lyeth  the  body  of 
Archd  M  Donnald  who  de 
parted  this  life  Sept  28'" 
1720  Aged  73  years  son  o  [f] 
Alex  M  Donald  Major  Go 
nerall  and  Knight  of  the 
field.  Here  also  lyeth 
the  body  of  the  said  Ar 
ch''    His    wife   Anne     M  D 


To  the  memory  of 
McColl  McDonnell 
late  of  Kilmore  & 
family  who  is  here 
buried  aged  74 
years     Died  the  23 


Day  of  March  17 19 


Here  lieth  the  remains  of        ^ 

Coll  McDonnell 

of     Kilmore     Glenariff    who    died     25th 

March     1719     Son     to      Major     General 

Sir      Alex'-d     McDonnell      (MacCollcitta) 

by  his  wife  d"  of  McAlister 

(late)  of  Laup 

Sir     Alex^    celebrated     in     the     wars     of 

Montrose     in    Scotland    was    slain     13th 

Novemb  1647  while  2"'^  in  comm'^    of  the 

Royal     Forces    at    Knocknanees    and     is 

buried  in    Clonmeen,   C°  Cork 


Here  lyeth  the  body  of  Cap'" 
Archd  McDonnell,  Son  to 
Alex  McDonnell  Major  Gen' 
&  Kn"*  on  ye  Field  ;  who  depart 
ed  this  life  Sep--  28th  1720  Ag 
ed  73  Also  Ann  Stewart  Sp 
ouse  to  y*=  said  Capt"  who 
departed  this  life  April  6th 
1 7 14  Aged  68.  Likewise  their 
son  Coll  M'Donnell  of  Glas 
mullin  who  departed  this 
life  June  6th  1737  Aged  49 
&  also  his  Alex"-  McDonnel 
who  died  July  26th  1782  Aged 
48  years  also  Alexander 
McDonnell  Son  to  the 
above  named  Alex""  who 
died  the  lith  day  of  Ocf^ 
1 79 1  Aged  16  years  also 
his  sister  Rachel  who 
departed  the  19th  March 
1805    aged    23    years. 


onald  alias  Stewart 

who     departed     April     19th 
17 14         Aged       68       years 


Here 

John 

more 

Dec^ 

Also 

who 

of       July 

Also      his 

Donnell 


lieth         the         Remains 
McDonnell         late        of 
who        departed         the 
1803  aged  75 

Rose         Savage         his 
departed      this      life       the 
1 8 14       aged         78 
son     Jt)hn      Alexander 


of 
Kil 

25th 

years 
wife 
24"' 

years 
Mc 


years 
life 


the 


Rathlin  Aged  60 

who  departed  this 

13th  February  1820 
Also  to  the  memory  of  said  John's  eldest 
son    Coll    lost    at    sea    24th    June    1820 

Aged  63   years 
Also      said      John's      4*''     son       Arch'' 
late    an    officer    Royal    Navy    died    21st 
February        1840        aged        77        years 
Also     said     Johns    6"*    son     John     died 

I  [  Jth  Feby  1 841  aged  69  years 
Also  the  first  named  John  5"'  son 
Randall      of     Kilmore      Glenariff      died 

II  Augt  1854  aged  82  years 
Also  Margaret  Ann  daughter  of 
Alex^  McMullan  Esq'  J.P  of  Cabra  House 
Co.  Down  and  wife  of  Alex"-  McDonnell 
Esq    A    B    &   F.R.C.S.I.    of   Dublin    & 

Kilmore 


Also  said  Alex'  McDonnells  d'  Ann 
wife  of  Arch'*  McElheran  Esq'  of 
GlassmuUan  &  Cushendall  died  18"' 
Dec  1825  aged  61  years  also  Ann  Black 
wife  of  said  Alex'  died  30"'  April  1835 
aged  98  years  also  Rose  Ann  grand 
dt'  of  said  Ann  McElheran  &  2nd  dt' 
of  Randal  McDonnell  Esq'  Kilmore 
Glenariff  died  18"'  May  1850  aged  31  y'^ 
also  said  Randals  3rd  dt'  Rachel 
died    30>h    Deer     1854    aged    33    years 


44 


LAYDE,    CUSHENDAIX,    CO.    ANTRIM. 


Also  Mary  McDonnell  wife  of  Ran 
dal  McDonnell  Esq  of  Kilmore  (llenariff 
and  dtr  of  Arch'*  McElheran  esq'  of 
Glasmullin  died  7"'  July   1870   aged  38 

Years    R.  I.  P. 
Also  the  Honbl  Madeline  McDonnell  dtr 
of  Thomas  first  Lord  O'Hagan  and  wife 
of   Colonel    J.    McDonnell    of    Kilmore 
Glenariff    she  14th     October     1877 


The  grave  of  Charles 

third  son  of  the  late 

John   McDonnell  of  Ballenlig 

Clenarifif 

who  departed  this   life  aged  60  years 

also  his  3  sons  James  Randal  &  John 

also  his  wife  Serali  Black  who  died  the 

4"'    of    March     1866    aged    76    years 


To  mark   the  grave  of 

John   McDonnell 

of   Cushendall 

and  of  Annie  his  wife  &.  their  sons 

Randal   Daniel  &  John 

also  in  remembrance  of  their   Grandson 

Charles 

youngest  son  of  Captain  Thomas   I'arr  45"'  Regiment 

who  died  at  Calcutta  aged   21   years 

also  his  brother  Henry 

who     died      at     New     Orleans      aged      33     years 

Here  al.so  lieth  the  remains  of  Alicia    McDonnell 

wife  of  the  before    mentioned   Randal   McDonnell 

died    at    Cushendall    on    the    25*^''    February    1842 

John  McDonnell  MacKenzie  who  died  at  Ballycastle 

on     the     22'"'     October     1865     aged     45      years. 

Rachel  Parr  widow  of  the  before  mentioned  Captain 

Thomas    Parr    who    died    at    Cushendall    on    ihi 

2"''         of        April         1870        aged        72        years 

May   they  rest  in  Peace. 


Ilere  lieth  the  body 

of  James   McDonnell 

aged  80  years. 


Erected 
By  Patrick  O  Donnell 
of  Cairns,  to  the  memory 
of  his  Wife  Betty  Schoolin 
who  departed  this  life 
September.  A.D.  1835 
A 'cd  32  Years. 


The  following  inscription  is  on 
a  iaigc  slab  inside  tht  vault  of  the 
western  tower  : 

Ann  McDonnell  of 

Glafsmullan  departed  this 

life  18th  Deer.  1825  aged  60 
Ye^rs  Daughter  to  Ale.xr  Mc 
Donnell  and  Sifter  to  the  last  Alexdr. 
and  Speufe  Archd  Mc 

Elheran,  who  departed  this 

life     May    3if'     1834    Aged     78    years 
Also        their        son        Archd.,         who 
departed        this         life       March         1st 
1839  aged  46  years. 


(It  will    be   ol.^erv 
O'Uoiiiiell.  althou-h 


Underneath 
are  deposited  the  remains  of 
Rev.    Daniel    McDonnell,    P.P. 
of  Layd  and  Ardclinis, 
who  departed  this  life  the  Sth  day  of  June, 
in   the  84th  year  of  his  age,   63rd 
his  Sacred   Ministry,   and    53rd  of  1 
parochial  appointment. 
This   monument  has  been   erectet 
by   D.iaiel   M'Cambridge,   to   the  mei 
of  his  venerable  uncle. 
Requiescat   in  Pace. 


The  following  inscriptions  are  on  the  base  of  the  High  Cross  : 

Erected  in  Memory  of  James  McDonnell  of  Belfast 
and  of  Murlough  of  this  County  a  physician  whose 
great  abilities  &  greater  benevolence  made  him  ve 
enerated  in  the  glens  where  he  was  born 
&   in  Belfast  where   he  died  A.D.  1845  in  his  82nd  year 


LAYDE,    CUSHENDALL,    CO.    ANTRIM. 


45 


Also  in    Memory  of  Eliza,  daughter  of  John 

Clarke  Esqr  of  Belfast  &  wife  of  the  said 

James  McDonnell  :  she  died  a.d.   1798 

also  of  Penelope,  daughter  of  James  Montgomery 

esqr  of  Larne  &  second  wife  of  the  said  James 

McDonnell,  she  died  A.D.  1851. 

Also  in  memory  of  Michael,   Father  of  the  said  James  father  of 

Alexander  cSi  son  of  Major  Genl.  Sir  Alexander  McColl  McDonnell, 

Knight  of  the  Field,  whose  other  son  Captain 
Archibald  McDonnell  likewise  rests  in  this  Churchyard. 


Enter  not  into  Judgment  with  thy  .Servants  O  Lord 
for  in  thy  sight  shall  no  man  living  be  justified. 


The  Macaulay  vault  in  the  interior  of 
a  door  in  the  centre,  and  on  either  side 
wall,  with  the  following  inscriptions  : 


the  church,  at  the  chancel  end,  has 
two   laraje   slabs  are   built  into    the 


t 


Issue  of  Alex  Macauley 
and  J.  H.  Acheson 
Alexander  born  30"'  Janv  1768 
Archibald  Major  &  Capt  44  Regt 
He  died  aged  74  and  here  buried 
Hugh  Captain  of  an  Indian  Chinese 
Ship,  foundered  with  him  at  Sea 
Mary  wife  of  Major  Jas  Higginson 
She  is  here    buried 

And  Louisa  her  sons  wife 
George  Captain  17th  Fool  and  here 
buried,  he  married  Jane  daugh-^ 
of  George  Hill  Larne,  they  left 
four  daughters  and  one  son 
Arthur  John  Lieut  68th  Regt 
died  at  Sea  aged  24 

Harriet   wife   of    Rev'   R.    S.    Dobbs 
They     are     here      burietl      -V     three 

Children 
Anne— died  Jany  30lh  1870  aged  86 
Alexr  Macaulay  junr.  (only  Son  of 
George  &  Jane)  born  I4lh  Feby  1819 
He  married  Maria  Martin,  ihcy  had  i 
Son  Alexr  born  22''  Augl  1849  to 
the  Great  affliction  of  his  Survivors 
He  died  of  Consumption  4th  Deer.  1849 
He  is  buried  in  the  North  East  Corner 
his  eldest  uncle  ; 
Revd.  Alex  Macaulay  who  survived 
him  died  on  the  8th  Feby  1S55  aged 
87. 


t 


In  the  Scotch 
Army  of   Charles    1st    in    Ulster   was 

Major  Alex   Macaulay 

From    Ardincaple     Dumbarton    Shire 

He  married  Alice  Stewart  of 

Ballintoy  they  had  one  Son 

Alexander  who   married  Mildred 

Daughter  of  Rev  .Vdam   Reid 

They    had    one    son    Alex  Macaulay 

Kings    Council    &     Member     of    the 

House  of  Commons 

He       married       Margaret      daughter 

of  Hugh  Boyd  of  Ballycastle 

Their  eldest  son   Alexander,   was 

High  Sheriff  of    Co  Antrim  for  1766 

He  married  Julia    Henrietta 

1  )aughter  of  Sir  Archil    Acheson 

Bart  (Afterwards  Vist.   Gosford) 

He  died  1 8th  June  1817  She  died  28th 

May   1829    Both    in    their  83rd  years 

And  here  hurried 
Alexander  Macaulay  son    of   the  late 
Alexander  Macaulay  and   Maria  Mar- 
tin   who    died     19th    November   18S0 
aged  32  years 


46 


LAYDE,    CUSHENDALL,    CO.    ANTRIM. 


Dr.  James  MacDonnell,  of  Belfast  and  Murlough. 

(Photo  of  Bust  in  Belfast  Museuvt.) 
BORN    1763  ;    DIED    1845. 


^\^otce  on  the  "2)i5covcr\>  of  two  0onni  Stonc6 
in  the  parish  of  Connor,  Co.  Hntrhn. 

By  the  Rev.   W.   1'.   CAl-lMODV,  a.h.,   Reci-or  of  Connor. 

HE  discovery  of  ogams  in  the  County  of  Antrim  is  sure  to 
be  a  matter  of  deep  interest  to  antiquarians,  as  tliey  are 
'^  very  scarce  in  Ulster.  In  an  article  by  Professor  Rhys,  in 
^  \\\<t  Journal  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Antiquaries,  June,  1895, 
'»-^  he  gives  an  account  of  three  inscril)ed  stones;  the  most 
northern  hitherto  discovered  being  Aghascribbagh  stone,  near  Greencastle, 
in  the  County  Tyrone. 

The  stones  of  which  I  now  proceed  to  give  an  account  were  discovered 
by  me  in  a  souterrain,  about  half  a  mile  south-east  of  the  village  of  Connor, 
in  the  townland  of  Carncomb.      I  had  heard  from  a  man  who  worked  in  my 


S^ia 


C^ 


^mmmm^^^m^^m^ 


|r?facp— --  - 


garden  of  the  existence  of  a  cave  in  that  neighbourhood,  and  I  went  with  him 
to  explore  it  on  the  26th  July  last.  We  found  it  had  been  closed  up,  and  had 
some  difficulty  in  finding  the  opening.  We  got  two  other  men  to  dig,  and  in 
a  short  time  I  was  able  to  force  my  way  in,  and  was  rewarded  by  finding  a 
beautifully  constructed  cave,  two  of  the  stones  on  the  roof  having  ogam 
inscriptions.  The  place  was  subsequently  visited  by  Dr.  D'Evelyn,  of 
Ballymena,  and  myself,  on  the  r2th  August;  and  by  Francis  Joseph  Bigger, 
Herbert  Hughes,  and  myself,  on  the  20th  August.  We  took  the  measurements 
of  the  cave,  and  a  rubbing  of  the  ogams,  which  were  sent  to  Bishop  Graves, 


48        NOTES    ON    THE    DISCOVERY   OF    TWO    OGAM    STONES    IN    CO.  ANTRIM. 

who  said  they  were  genuine;  but  he  was  unable  to  read  them,  as  the  rubbings 
were  not  distinct  enough. 

On  Saturday,  8th  October,  I  again  visited  the  cave  with  F.  J.  Bigger, 
Rev.  Dr.  Buick,  of  CuUybackey,  and  Herbert  Hughes.  We  made  additional 
rubbings,  and  a  full  examination  of  the  dimensions  and  stonework,  taking 
accurate  drawings  and  measurements,  the  details  of  which  can  be  seen  at  a 
glance  from  the  accompanying  ground  plan  and 
section  made  by  W.  J.  Fennell.  The  souterrain 
is  one-chambered,  and  lies  nearly  north  and  south, 
with  the  original  entrance  at  the  southern  end. 
It  is  most  perfectly  built  of  round  basaltic  boulder 
stones,  slightly  narrower  at  the  centre,  with 
rotundities  at  either  end.  The  roof  is  formed  of 
eight  large  slab  stones  laid  across,  the  spaces 
between  them  being  covered  by  smaller  slabs,  laid 
transversely;  and  these  again  covered  with  still 
smaller  stones.  Two  of  the  large  roof  slabs  bear 
ogam  inscriptions  on  the  angles  facing  downwards. 

It  is  possible  there  are  other  inscriptions;  but  none  could  be  seen, 
although  searched  for  carefully;  nor  can  I  say  whether  the  inscriptions  were 
added  after  this  cave  dwelling  was  erected,  or  whether  these  inscribed  stones 
were  originally  monumental  stones  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  then 
utilized  by  subsequent  cave-builders  as  material  for  the  erection  of  their 
abode. 

The  stone  to  the  north  (No.  2)  rather  bears  out  the  latter  theory,  as  the 
angle  bearing  the  inscription  has  been  rubbed  smooth,  and  the  characters 
very  much  obliterated,  which  must  have  been  caused  by  those  who  used  the 
souterrain  coming  in  constant  contact  with  it.  It  could  not  have  been  caused 
by  cattle  or  other  animals  in  modern  times,  as  such  could  not  have  had  access 
to  the  cave  from  the  nature  of  its  construction,  and  the  height  of  the  roof 
above  the  floor  (five  feet)  would  prohibit  contact  by  small  animals. 

The  souterrain  is  about  three  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  soil,  in  an 
agricultural  field  situated  on  an  eminence,  with  an  expanded  view  on  every 
side;  Cross  and  Skerry,  so  associated  with  Saint  Patrick,  lying  to  the  north. 
Entrance  is  at  present  effected  by  a  hole  made  in  the  roof  almost  in  the 
centre  of  the  chamber. 

Dr.  Buick  subsequently  visited  the  cave  with  me  on  the  28th  October,  in 
order  to  verify  the  previous  observations  made  and  rubbings  taken.  He  has 
embodied  all  that  can  at  present  be  said  about  these  ogams  in  the  following 
remarks : 

"  I  spent  several  hours  yesterday  [28lh  October,  189S],  as  you  are  aware,  in  going  over 
the  ogam  inscriptions  in  the   souterrain   a,t   Carncomb,       It  was  no  easy  matter  to  do  so„ 


NOTES    ON    THE    niSCOVERV   OF    TWO    0(^,AM    STONES    IN    CO.   ANTRIM. 


49 


owing  to  the  amount  of  water  with  which  the  'cove'  was  flooded.  A  good  part  of  the  time 
I  had  to  stand  up  to  the  knees  in  water;  but,  despite  the  (Ufficuhies,  I  made  a  very  thorough 
investigation  of  the  several  scores,  and  now  send  you  the  results,  which,  I  venture  to  think, 
will,  in  the  main,  be  found  correct.  In  making  them  out,  I  have  had  the  advantage  of  having 
before  me  all  the  rubbings  and  copies  made  by  F.  J.  Bigger,  which  he  kindly  sent  me,  as 
also  my  own  transcript,  made  on  the  occasion  of  my  visit  with  him  and  you  on  the  8th 
October.  The  lettering  is  unusually  small  for  ogams  on  stone,  and  the  scores  in  most 
instances  such  as  might  be  made  with  a  nail  drawn  once  or  twice  along  the  surface.  I  had 
to  use  a  large  magnifying  glass  to  make  some  of  them  out  properly.  When  I  was  in  a 
difficulty,  I  also  got  one  of  the  men  in  attendance  to  tell  me  what  he  saw,  and  in  this  way 
I  checked  my  own  observations.  After  all,  there  are  several  letters  about  which  I  have 
considerable  doubt.  In  all  such  cases  I  give  the  particular  letter  I  prefer,  and  underneath  it 
the  alternative,  or  alternatives,  as  the  case  may  be.  The  vowel  points  were  particularly 
puzzling,  especially  where  two  vowels  come  together.  I  cannot,  therefore,  undertake  to  say 
that  these  readings  which  I  give  you  are  absolutely  correct ;  but  there  is  such  a  correspondence 
between  them  and  the  several  rubbings  and  transcripts  available  as  warrants  me  in  concluding 
that  no  further  examination  is  likely  to  modify  them  to  any  great  extent. 

"  The  stone  I  call  No.  i  is  at  the  soutlvend  of  the  souterrain.  The  legend  on  it  is  about 
two  feet  in  length.  It  begins  eighteen  inches  from  the  end  of  the  stone,  as  expcjsed  to  the 
left,  and  is  as  follows : 

No.    I. 


*¥rr 


-;  >  m    I  '  H I  I  >  t » I » I  I  n « ♦  H I 


TORAESCEUSAS       MAOUi      ACOIMEUTINI 

T       oT  Eu  oT 

No.   2. 
"This  stone  is  at  the  north  end.     The  legend  here  begins  seventeen  inches  from  the 
end  to  the  left,  as  exposed,  and  covers  in  length  fourteen  inches.      It  reads: 


T   E_C 
C    ?       M 


NAI.  MAOUI    AVARATI 
S  C 


"  The  first  part  of  this  inscription  is  almost  wholly  illegible.  In  some  way  or  other  it  has 
been  greatly  rubbed.  I  am  in  doubt  as  to  whether  the  letter  with  which  it  begins  should  be 
T  or  C.  I  ]iut  T  in  preference  to  the  other,  as  the  rubbings  seem  to  give  three  lines,  and  not 
four.     When  I  first  transcribed  the  name,  I  got  four  distinct  notches  for  the  next  letter— the 

vowel  E but  yesterday  I  could  not  make  them  out  so  confidently.     There  is  a  blank  after 

this  possible  E.  and  then  what  I  take  to  be  two  scores :  but  there  might  be  more— I  thought 
I  saw  traces  of  them — and  as  my  first  reading  gave  only  one  distinctly,  I  read  G,  with  M  and 
R  as  alternatives.  Between  this  letter  and  the  next  (viz.,  N)  there  is  a  rather  wide  blank 
space ;  then  the  number  of  scores,  which  I  take  to  be  an  N,  is  somewhat  questionable ;  so, 
though  I  prefer  to  read  N,  I  give  S  as  an  alternative.  The  Maqui  is  very  faint,  more 
especially  the  M ;  but  there  is  no  possibility  of  nijstaking  it  once  you  know  to  look  for  it. 
D 


50        NOTES    ON    THE    DISCOVERY  OF    TWO    OGAM    STONES    IN    CO.   ANTRIM. 

The  remainder  of  the  legend  is  plain,  with  the  exception  of  the  T,   which  might  be  a  C. 
AVARATI,  or  AVARACI— the  patronymic. 

"  I  hope  that  this  attempt  to  read  the  inscriptions  may  be  serviceable  to  you,  and 
I  again  heartily  congratulate  you  on  the  notable  and  extremely  important  discovery  you 
have  made." 

This  must  suffice  at  present  as  an  introduction  of  these  ogams  to  the 
antiquarian  world.  I  do  not  venture  to  elucidate  further  just  now  the 
meaning  or  historic  value  of  the  inscriptions,  but  trust  soon  to  be  able  to 
do  so.  Meantime,  I  solicit  the  help  and  assistance  of  others  more  versed 
in  such  lore  than  I  am  to  aid  me  witli  their  experience  and  advice.  If, 
on  further  investigation,  other  inscriptions  are  found  on  angles  not  exposed 
to  the  interior  of  the  cave,  they  would  conclusively  prove  that  the  erection 
of  this  cave  was  subsequent  to  the  inscriptions  being  made,  and  thus  go  far  to 
determine  the  relative  dates  of  the  souterrain  and  the  ogam  writing. 

The  present  find  is  the  more  remarkable  in  having  escaped  the  vigilance 
of  two  such  skilled  antiquaries  as  the  late  Bishop  Reeves  and  Canon  Grainger, 
both  of  whom  were  long  resident  in  the  district.  The  souterrain  has  long 
been  known  to  exist,  having  been  opened  and  closed  several  times.  I  trust 
to  have  it  now  so  conserved  by  the  owner  of  the  land  as  to  be  readily  accessible 
at  all  times. 


flDieccUanca. 


O'DORAN  TOMBST()XK-l'ORT.M(JRE  CIIURCIIVARD. 
Bv  IIkrbekt  Hughes. 

iterior  of  the  ruins  of  the  Old  Church  of  Porlnioie,  in  the  ]iarish 
lin<lcrry,  and  close  to  the  west  wall,  there  is  a  tombstone  erected 
to  a  former  \  icar  of  Kilieail.  In  front  of  the  stone  a  rude  tomb  has 
been  built,  with  an  altar  slab,  now  broken.  As  the  name  and  daie  of 
this  vicar  is  not  fully  given  in  Lavens  M.  Ew  art's  Handbook  of  the 
United  Diocese,  I  annex  a  full  copy  of  the  inscription,  which  is  sur- 
mounted by  a  cherub  and  some  mantling.  It  would  be  interesting  to 
know  where  the  Reverend  Bernard  O'Doran  came  from,  and  to  what  family  he  belonged. 


Sacred 

to  the  memory  of  the 

Revd 

Bernard  O'Doran  late 

Vicar 

of  Killead  who  departed  this  life 

on  the   1 6th  October 

1S15 

This  stone  is  erected  as 

a  small 

tribute  of  aflection  by 

lis  son 

James  O'Doran 

also 

Susanna  Relict  of  the 

above 

Aged  8 1   years 

Obiit  2nd  February 

1S37 

also 

lames  (J'Doran  son 

of  the 

above  late  Captain  in 

he  59th 

Regt  Aged   51   yer 

rs 

Obiit   17th  January 

1842 

FIND    OF    A   COIN. 
Bv  WlI,T,IA^r  J.   Fknm:i.i.. 

During  the  recent  removal  of  some  old  buildings  on  the  south  side  of  Smithfield,  Belfast, 
to  extend  the  warehouse  of  W.  J.  M'Coy  &  Sons,  a  silver  coin  of  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  was 
found  by  John  M'Coy  between  the  joists  of  the  first  floor.  The  coin  is  one  inch  and  a 
quarter  in  diameter.  On  the  obverse,  the  crown  is  distinguishable,  but  the  head  is  worn  away  ; 
the  inscription  on  the  marginal  ring  being 

4-   ELIZABETH:   D.G:   ANG  :   FR:   FT:   HI:   REGINA 
The  reverse  bears  a  shield,  in  two  quarters  of  which  are  the   English   lions,   and   in  the  other 
two  the  French  fleur-de-lis,  and  ihe  marginal  inscription  is 

^   POSVI.    DKV.   ADIXTOREM:   MEV: 


52  MISCELLANEA. 

CANOE  FOUND  AT  PORTADOWN. 
By  W.  J.  Wakeman. 
Whilst  making  some  allerations  on  the  Great  Northern  Railway,  on  the  north  side  of 
Portadown,  between  Cocrain  and  Garvahy,  in  the  parish  of  Drumcree,  a  fine  oak  canoe  was 
dug  out  of  the  peat,  close  to  the  south  side  of  the  Cocrain  River,  near  the  bridge  over  the 
Bann,  and  about  300  yards  from  the  centre  of  that  river.  It  was  embedded  in  an  old 
swamp,  about  six  feet  deep  in  the  peat,  and  was  doubtless  found  where  it  had  been  left  by 
its  original  owner,  who  had  used  it  on  the  Bann,  but  under  what  circumstances  can  never  now 
be  known.  In  early  times  such  rivers  as  the  iJann  were  the  great  arteries  of  traffic,  and 
frequently  have  such  relics  been  found  upon  its  banks,  more  especially  at  Toomebridge,  where 
the  same  river  emerges  from  Lough  Neagh.  This  canoe  is  hollowed  out  of  one  piece  of  oak,  and 
the  marks  of  the  tools  can  still  be  seen  upon  it.  The  length  is  1 1  ft.  6  ins.,  the  breadth  2  ft., 
and  the  depth  6  in.  The  ends  are  circular,  and  there  are  no  marks  of  seats,  but  two  holes 
show  careful  signs  of  patching.  I  am  glad  to  say,  with  the  assistance  of  the  editor  of  this 
journal,  I  obtained  the  canoe  for  the  City  Museum,  Belfast,  where  it  has  Vjeen  cared  for  by 
the  curator,  Charles  Elcock. 


VICARS  OF  BELFAST— DOWNES  PEERAGE. 
By  the  Rev.  Charles  Scott,  a.m. 
The  peerage  books  state  that  the  ancestor  of  Lord  Downes,  an  extinct  peerage  in  Ireland, 
was  the  Rev.  Lewis  Downes,  Rector  of  Thornby,  Northamptonshire;  but  there  is  no  mention 
of  a  Rector  of  Thornby  of  that  name.  From  Benn's  History  of  Belfast,  it  appears  that 
Lewis  Downes  was  Vicar  of  Belfast  in  1642;  that  he  lived  at  Thornby  during  the  time  that 
the  Presbyterian  and  Cromwellian  parties  held  possession  of  Belfast;  and  that  he  regained 
possession  of  his  parish  at  the  Restoration,  under  Bishop  Jeremy  Taylor.  His  son  Dive, 
born  at  Thornby,  became  Bishop  of  Cork,  and  his  great  grandson,  William,  Lord  Chief- 
Justice  of  Ireland,  was  raised  to  the  peerage  as  Lord  Downes.  There  is  another  point  not 
stated  by  Benn.  It  appears  from  Cotton's  Fasti  that  a  Lewis  Downes  was  presented  to  the 
Deanery  of  Kilmore  on  the  13th  of  May,  1662.  The  deanery  was  vacant  before  1664,  when 
Edward  Dixie  succeeded.  As  the  Vicarage  of  Belfast  became  vacant  at  the  same  time,  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  it  was  the  same  Lewis  Downes  that  held  both. 


PRESERVATION  OF  ANCIENT  MONUMENTS  IN  IRELAND. 
By  Francis  Joseph  Bicger,  Editor. 

The  following  extracts  from  the  Local  Government  Act,  which  comes  into  operation 
at  1st  April  next,  are  of  extreme  importance  to  Irish  antiquaries.  The  preservation  of  our 
ancient  monuments  now  rests  in  the  local  authorities ;  and  if  they  are  not  cared  for,  we  have 
only  ourselves  to  blame,  as  their  conservation  is  now  vested  in  the  Councils  directly  appointed 
by  the  people.  We  trust  this  new  power  will  be  wisely  and  not  too  hastily  exercised.  As 
little  "  restoration  "  as  possible  should  be  attempted,  and  only  conservation  carried  out. 

Local  Government  (Ireland)  Act,   1S98  (61  &  62  Vict.,  chap,  yi,  sec.  19). 

Powers  of  County  Council  as  to  Ancient  Monumiuts  (45  &  46  Vict.,  c.  73;  55  &  56 
Vict.,  c.  46).  — (l).  Where  any  ancient  monuments  or  remains,  within  the  meaning  of  this 
section,  are  being  dilapidated,  injured,  or  endangered,  the  county  surveyor  of  any  county 
shall  report  the  same  to  the  County  Council,  and  a  County  Council  may  prosecute  for  any 
penalty  under  section  6  of  the  Ancient  Monuments  Protection  Act,  1882. 

(2).  The  provisions  of  section  11  of  the  said  Act  (defining  "ancient  monuments  to  which 
this  Act  applies"),  and  section  i  of  the  Ancient  Monuments  Protection  (Ireland)  Act,  1892, 
shall  have  effect  as  if  they  were  herein  re-enacted,  with  the  substitution  of  "County  Council" 
for  "Commissioner  of  Works";  but  this  enactment  shall  be  in  addition  to,  and  not  in 
derogation  of,  the  existing  provisions  of  the  said  sections  as  respects  the  Commissioner  of 
Works. 


MISCELLANEA. 


53 


COMMERCIAL  ANTI<^)U ARIES. 

Recently  a  crannog  was  discovered  at  White  Loui^h,  in  Killucan  parish,  County 
Westmeath,  and  before  a  proper  examination  of  its  soil  and  struclure  could  be  made  it  had 
been  deeply  ploughed  over  by  the  occupier  of  the  land,  in  order  to  fuid  the  valuables  which 
he  was  certain  were  hidden  beneath  the  surface.  In  the  first  place,  we  hope  he  was  dis- 
appointed as  to  the  value  of  the  finds;  but  the  loss  his  action  inflicted  upon  scientific  research 
cannot  be  so  easily  measured.  We  are  told  that  the  articles  found  were  "  sold  to  a  museum." 
Well,  we  know  what  that  too  often  means ;  and  lest  there  are  some  who  do  not,  we  will  tell 
them.  The  local  pedlar,  doubtless,  got  them ;  and  he  in  turn  hawked  them  round  his 
antiquarian  customers,  until  he  got  what  he  considered  a  good  figure  for  them.  We  only  give 
this  as  a  probable  instance,  for  we  are  aware  of  many  such,  concerning  which  we  can  supply 
definite  data,  and  we  are  determined  to  do  what  we  can  to  expose  this  nefarious  traffic,  and 
put  a  stop  to  it  if  possible.  At  present  we  will  only  deal  in  generalities ;  but,  if  driven  to  it, 
we  will  give  full  details,  names  of  persons  implicated,  and  the  objects  obtained,  also  their 
subsequent  disposal.  Verb.  sap.  Time  after  time  we  have  known  where  pedlars  and  others 
were  sent  or  went  to  recover  finds,  stating  to  the  original  finder  or  possessor  that  they  were 
for  a  society  or  a  museum,  naming  such,  when  it  was  merely  personal  greed  that  stimulated 
their  actions.  What  our  American  cousins  call  "  dry  goods"  have  been  freely  given  in  lieu  of 
antiquities,  so  that  the  artful  pedlar  might  peddle  still  further,  gaining,  where  necessary,  the 
ear  of  the  women  of  the  house.  By  this  means  the  full  and  true  history  and  locality  of  the 
find  is  often  lost,  or,  what  is  worse,  wrongly  given,  thus  spoiling  the  better  half  of  the  historic 
significance.  It  also  puts  the  temptation  in  the  way  of  farmers  and  labourers  to  sell  what 
they  find  at  once,  so  that  the  local  antiquary,  if  poor,  has  never  a  chance  of  recording  what 
is  found  in  his  district,  and  thus  his  history  is  spoiled  or  unrecorded,  whilst  the  commercial 
"  antiquary"  at  a  distance  has  his  house  crowded  with  finds  from  no  one  knows  where;  and 
when  he  does  know,  it  may  be  incorrect  and  only  "pedlar  named."  There  are  piles  of 
valuable  antiquarian  specimens  in  the  Belfast  museums  and  in  private  collections  that  are 
positively  worthless,  solely  attributable  to  this  craze  for  unrecorded  collecting.  The  mere 
acquisition  of  such  articles  seems  to  satisfy  some  so-called  antiquaries,  who  are  apparently 
quite  oblivious  of  the  real  sterling  work  done  by  such  men  as  Dr.  Munro  in  his  Lake 
Dwellings  of  Europe,  where  a  systematic  record  of  all  finds  is  given,  with  an  equally  accurate 
description  of  the  places  where  they  were  found,  and  the  circumstances  connected  with  their 
recovery.  This  also  applies  in  a  smaller  degree  to  the  painstaking  description  of  the  finds  in 
the  crannogs  of  Moylarg  and  Lisnacroghera  in  our  own  County  Antrim.  Nor  is  this  the 
worst  feature  of  the  grievance,  and  we  speak  as  one  who  knows :  such  collectors  having 
acquired  their  treasures  so  easily,  part  them  with  equal  facility/or  a  comideration.  Collections 
of  our  northern  antiquities  have  been  sold  to  rich  Americans,  and  to  English  and  Scotch 
collectors,  time  after  time,  leaving  us  so  much  the  poorer,  their  new  owners  only  esteeming 
them  as  mere  specimens.  Such  conduct  is  most  reprehensible,  particularly  when  carried  on 
by  those  who  pose  as  antiquaries,  when  their  proper  name  should  be  curio-dealers,  whose 
actions  in  regard  to  what  should  be  our  most  treasured  relics  must  be  closely  watched  and 
viewed  with  the  gravest  suspicion.  We  trust  we  shall  not  be  called  ujion  to  revert  to  this 
unpleasant  subject  again.— Editor. 


1Re\>iew6  of  Bool^s. 

Piihlications  haviii;^  any  heariiii:;  iipott  local  niatters,  or  upon  Irish  or  i^eneral  Antiqiim  ia). 

subjects,  tvill  be  reviewed  in  this  coluutn. 

Books  or  Articles  for  Review  to  be  sent  to  the  Editor. 


The  Studio.      August,  1S98.      Price   i/- 

This    magazine    contains  a  well   illustrated   descriptive   article   on    "Celtic    Sculpture,"    by 

J.    Romilly  Allen,   worthy  of  preservation. 

^  •T^  *!*  ^ 

The  Scottish  Antiquary.     October,  1S9S.      Price   i/- 

This  is  a  journal  replete  with  varied  information  bearing  on  Scottish  archaeology  in  particular, 
but  so  overla]iiiing  the  general  study  of  early  remains  as  to  afford  excellent  reading  for  the 
"  Scot  abroad,"  under  which  heading  many  readers  of  this  journal  may  be  named. 

-^-        :|<        *        * 

Journal  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Antiquaries.     September,  iSyS. 

This  part  contains  an  excellent  paper  on  "  Notarial  Seals,"  by  Colonel  Vigors,  of  much  value 
to  those  engaged  in  the  study  of  ancient  documents,  freely  illustrated  from  different  sources. 
There  is  also  a  paper  by  Dr.  Frazer  on  "  The  O'Neill  Coronation  Chair,"  now  preserved  in 
Belfast,  written  on  similar  lines  to  what  had  already  apjjcared  in  these  pages.  The  miscellanea 
is  varied  and  valuable. 

*        >!<        *        ^; 

Early  Fortificatiojis  in  Scotland.      By  David  Christison,  M.D.      Edinburgh:   William  Black- 
wood &  Son.      1S9S.      Price  21/-  net. 

Nothing  like  the  present  volume  has  ever  been  hitherto  attempted,  nor  did  we  think  such  a 
full  descriptive  schedule  of  all  the  Scottish  earthworks  possible.  It  shows  what  can  be  done, 
and  reminds  us  forcibly  in  Ireland  of  what  yet  remains  to  be  accomplished.  Maps  of  the  whole 
country  are  given,  with  the  different  earthworks  carefully  depicted  on  them,  showing  at  a 
glance  where  the  ancient  inhabitants  crowded,  and  the  spots  they  left  desolate  or  only  used 
as  hunting-grounds  when  their  fellow-men  were  not  their  prey.  It  is  only  by  comparison  of 
such  maps  and  ground  plans  that  we  begin  to  understand  the  real  nature  of  these  earthworks, 
their  endless  variety,  and  the  different  uses  they  were  put  to — from  the  simple  mound  to  the 
many-circumvallated  lis,  with  its  separated  outworks,  crescent-shaped,  square,  or  oval ;  and 
then  the  relics  that  have  been  found  about  them,  showing  how  the  inhabitants  lived,  the 
nature  of  their  food  and  dress,  their  weapons,  and  household  goods.  All  these  features  and 
many  others  are  here  collected  together,  and  dilated  upon  in  a  way  that  makes  these  ancient 
strongholds  live  again,  and  tell  their  old-world  tales  of  rajiine  and  slaughter,  barbarous  ease 
and  superstition;  telling,  with  a  truer  note,  the  history  of  a  people  who  have  no  writings 
than  the  overwritten  history  of  nations  who  have  no  such  evidences,  and  rely  only  upon  the 
often  coloured  and  biassed  records  of  their  own  prejudiced  scribes.  Such  a  book  as  this 
should  stimulate  Irish  antiquaries  in  their  own  immediate  districts  to  do  similar  work,  and 
ihus  enable  someone,  able  enough  and  willing  enough,  to  collect  all  together  in  one  compre- 
hensive work,  and  thus  form  an  incomparable  volume:  for  our  own  country,  even  after  all  the 
destruction  of  her  earthworks  and  fortifications  which  has  undoubtedly  taken  ]ilace,  has  still 
finer  and  more  numerous  examples  than  any  other  country  in  Eun^pe. 


REVIEWS    OF    BOOKS.  55 

The  Celtic  Chtiirh  in  Ireland.      By  I'rofcssor  J.  Heron,  D.D.      London:   Service  ^K;  Patton. 

This  book  embodies  a  series  of  lectures  delivered  in  the  Asseml)ly's  College,  Belfast,  and  is 
in  consequence  of  a  rather  one-sided  nature.  This,  however,  does  not  materially  detract  from 
the  value  of  the  book,  which  is  written  in  a  clear  and  comprehensive  manner,  embracing  all 
the  distinctive  features  of  Irish  Church  life.  The  opening  chapteis  are  fme  expositions  of 
a  difficult  subject,  and  exhibit  deep  reading  and  wide  research.  The  Church  of  Saint  Patrick 
is  particularly  well  written  about,  and  many  rather  haz.y  features  of  that  hazy  period  enlarged 
upon  and  explained.  What  a  pity,  however,  that  the  book — a  good  book,  a  history — should 
be  so  marred  by  the  last  fifty  pages — a  mere  wrangle  about  modern  trifles,  which  must 
necessarily  close  the  pages  of  the  whole  volume  to  many  who  care  not  to  have  particular 
tenets  thrust  upon  them  in  such  an  argumentative  way.  These  pages  might  have  been  left 
for  a  sectarian  magazine,  and  not  included  in  what  was  otherwise  an  excellent  history,  fit  for 
the  hands  of  all  ecclesiastical  students. 


The  Antiquary.     November,  1S98.      Elliot  Stock.      Price  6d. 

This  is,  perhaps,  the  best  and  cheapest  antiquarian  magazine  in  the  market,  and  redounds  to 
the  credit  of  the  publishers,  who  leave  no  opportunity  to  the  grumbler,  either  in  point  of 
variety  or  value,  in  the  articles  inserted.  The  "  Notes  of  the  Month"  and  "Church  Notes" 
are  particularly  well  worth  perusal ;  the  former  keeping  the  antiquary  thoroughly  conversant 
with  all  recent  finds  and  observations,  and  the  latter  detailing  minutely  some  of  those  lovely 
old  English  parish  churches,  which  many  prefer  to  the  more  gorgeous  cathedral. 

jf;        >[?        ^        >}: 

The  Genealogical  Magazine.  November,  1898.  Elliot  Stock.  Price  i/- 
This  part  is  even  more  comprehensive  than  usual,  ranging  over  centuries  of  history  from  early 
Norman  down  to  matters  so  late  as  the  Canadian  grant  of  arms,  and  the  great  seal  of  that 
Dominion,  an  excellent  illustration  of  which  is  given.  The  treatise  on  the  law  of  name- 
changing  makes  quite  lucid  a  very  little-understood  subject.  The  claimant  to  the  earldom  of 
Llandafif  founds  his  pretension  on  a  particular  marriage  announced  in  Faulkner's  Dublin 
Penny  Journal,  and  is  prejiaring  to  back  it  up  with  other  evidence.  "  Answers"  and 
"(Queries''  afford  ample  scope  fur  the  seeker  after  lost  pedigrees  and  obscure  personal  records. 


Journal  of  the   Cork  Historical  and  Archaeological  Society.      September,  1S9S.      Guy  &  Co. 

Price  I, '6. 
The  present  part  sustains  the  reputation  of  this  society  by  the  value  of  the  papers  contributed. 
Robert  Day,  as  usual,  heads  the  fist  with  '^Volunteer  Medals"— a  better  paper  than  even  he 
is  usually  wont  to  give.  The  illustrations  of  his  badges  and  medals  prove  him  to  be  the  facile 
princeps  of  collectors,  lie  illustrates  and  describes  the  best  medal  we  have  yet  seen— the 
Earl  of  Charlemont's  prize  medal  to  the  First  Ulster  Regiment.  The  Aughnacloy  medal  is, 
perhaps,  unique—"  The  Gift  of  Colonel  P.  Alexander." 


The  Humours  of  Donegal.      By  James  MacManus  ("  Mac").      London:  T.  Fisher  Unwin. 

1898.  Price  \\-  and  2/- 
We  regret  to  hear  that  this  rising  young  writer  has  left  his  native  sod  for  a  foreign  appoint- 
ment, but  he  has  done  good  work  before  his  exile.  The  present  volume  is  a  series  of  short, 
pithy' stories,  redolent  of  Donegal  hills  and  valleys,  priests,  peasants,  and  poteen.  It  is  sure 
to  wile  away  many  an  idle  hour,  and  aff^ord  a  happy  relief  for  the  railway  traveller  to  the 
surfeit  of  new  illustrated  magazines  that  we  are  now  suffering  from. 


56  REVIEWS    OF    BOOKS. 

Chronicles   of  the    Kirkpati-ick    Family.      By    Alexander    de    Lapere    Kirkpatrick.       1897. 
Privately  }3iinted. 

This  is  a  remarkable  book,  beautifully  printed  and  produced,  and  just  in  many  ways  what  a 
family  history  should  be,  down  even  to  the  blank  pages  left  for  recording  notes  by  the 
different  members  of  the  family  who  are  happy  enough  to  possess  a  copy.  The  Kirkpatrick 
descent  of  the  ex-Empress  Eugenie,  to  whom  the  work  is  dedicated,  is  a  feature  of  the  book; 
nor  are  the  Irish  branches  of  the  family  overlooked,  although  the  fine  Kirkpatrick  armorial 
stone  in  Templepatrick  churchyard,  Co.  Antrim,  is  not  given;  yet  it  marks  the  resting-place 
of  the  descendants  of  him  who  said,  "  I  mak  sickar,"  when  the  Red  Comyn  was  done  to 
death  in  Orey   Friars  Church  at   Dumfries. 


Books  Printed  in    Duhlm    in  (he  Seventeenth    Cent  my.       Compiled    by    E.    R.    M'C.   Dix. 
Dublin:   T.   G.   Donoghue.      189S.      Price  2 '6. 

This  catalogue  is  compiled  on  similar  lines  to  Re'fast  Prin'ed  Books,  and  fills  a  long-felt 
want  in  Dublin  bibliography.  As  a  book  of  reference,  it  will  be  invaluable.  It  is  hoped  it 
will  meet  with  the  support  it  deserves,  and  that  the  painstaking  compiler  will  soon  produce 
the  succeeding  parts. 

*        *        *        >k 

Proceedini^s  of  th-:  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland.      1S97. 

This  is  a  volume  to  be  proud  of  in  every  way — matter,  printing,  and  illustrations.  The 
prehistoric  is  strongly  in  evidence.  Burial  urns,  tumuli,  earns,  refuse  hei]5s,  dolmens, 
and  earthworks,  are  exhaustively  dealt  with ;  nor  are  more  recent  subjects  omitted.  One 
paper  in  particular  on  "  Scottish  Cruises  or  Lamps"  would  illustrate  exactly  the  same 
subject  from  our  own  County  Antrim,  thus  showing  how  allied  we  are  to  what  is  to  many  of 
us  the  mother  country.  All  the  prehistoric  papers  touch  us  closely,  and  help  to  brighten  our 
knowledge  on  similar  questions  in  our  own  country.  If  this  learned  society  did  nothing 
further  than  publish  such  proceedings,  it  would  be  doing  work  worthy  of  its  name  and  of  the 
country  it  represents. 

:.'-'        >f;        *        * 

Fate  of  the  Children  of  Uisneach.      Dublin:   M.  H.  Gill  &  Son.      1898.      Price  2/-  net. 

This  is  the  last  jjublication  of  the  Society  for  the  Preservation  of  the  Irish  Language,  and 
will  do  much  to  assist  their  very  laudable  efforts.  The  story  here  given  in  the  ancient 
tongue  and  translated  is  of  ]mrticular  interest  to  Ulster  readers,  as  the  incidents  recorded 
occurred  in  ancient  Ultonia,  and  have  already  been  rendered  in  lovely  verse  by  Sir  Samuel 
Ferguson.  Comprehensive  notes  and  a  vocabulary  are  added.  We  can  heartily  commend 
this  little  book  to  our  readers. 


i 

f^H 

R 

s^ 

i 

i 

H 

1 

M 

^^^gj 

^M 

IRotes  anb  (Slueries* 

7/^/,f  cchinni  is  opcti  to  readers  desirous  0/  o/'/aiiiiiic;  or  iinpartin;^  inforinaliou  on  ijuestions  of 
interest  and  obscure  points  of  historical  lore  relatiiii^  to  the  district. 


MaeQuillin. — I  sliould  lie  much  obliged  if  any  reader  could  give  me  authentic  information 
on  the  origin  of  the  family  of  jMac(J»uillin  of  the  Route. 

I  annex  some  of  the  various  theories  wfiich  have  been  advanced  by  different  authorities, 
some  deriving  them  from  Anglo-Norman  origin,  some  from  Welsh,  and  others  again  from  the 
ancient  Milesian  stock  of  "  Niall  of  the  Nine  Hostages." 

Origin  of  the  MaeQuillins. — i.  Upon  the  untimely  death  of  William  de  Burgo, 
his  descendants  were  called  by  the  native  Irish,  who  could  not  well  pronounce  the  English 
language  themselves,  MacGuillins  or  Mac  Williams  ;  i.e.,  the  sons  of  William,  as  deriving 
their  sole  origin  from  him  alone.  MacWilliam  in  process  of  time  was  corrupted  into  Mae- 
Quillin, which  finally  settled  the  family  name  of  the  adventurous  sept  of  De  Borgo,  (An  Irish 
Lef^end  ;  or,  MacDonnell  and  the  Norman  lie  Biirr^os  :  a  Biographical  Tale.  By  Alexander 
M'Sparran.      1829.) 

2.  "  Fitzhowlyn,  Lord  of  Tuscard,  which  was  the  original  Anglo-Norman  name  of  the 
Mac(^uillins,  of  the  Routes  of  Antrim,  the  latter  being  the  Irish  form,"  ("  The  Earldom  and 
Barons  of  Ulster,"  by  J.  W.  II.,   Uls'er  Journal  of  Archceoloi;)',  vol.  i.,  p.  42,  1S53.) 

3.  "  The  Earls  of  Ulster  brought  the  Byssets  from  Scotland  to  the  Glens  of  Antrim,  and 
the  Welshmen,  known  here  as  iMac(2uillins,  to  the  Route."  (Note  on  Shane's  Castle,  by  Rev. 
G.  Hill,  in  Ulster  Journal  0/  Archaology,  vol.  i.,  p.  146.) 

4.  "  The  MaeQuillins  came  originally  from  Wales  in  the  twelfth  century,  and  the  name 
is  stated  to  have  been  MacLewillyn,  in  Irish  MacUidhilin."  (Connellan's  Annals  of  tJte  Four 
Masters. ) 

5.  "  The  MaeQuillins  hold  that  they  are  descended  from  Fiacha  MacUillin,  younger  son 
to  '  Niall  of  the  Nhie  Hostages,'  and  that  their  ancestors,  from  the  beginning  of  the  fifth 
century  to  the  latter  end  of  the  twelfth,  were,  according  to  native  phraseology,  '  Kings  '  or 
Princes  of  Ulidia,  and,  from  the  twelfth  to  the  sixteenth  century.  Princes  of  Dalriada." 
(  Ulster  foia-nal  of  ArchiTology,  vol.  viii. ) 

Robert   S.  Voung,  Culdaff,  Co.  Donegal. 

The  Author  of  "  Louthiana."— Can  any  reader  of  this  journal  oblige  me  with  a 
reference  to  a  biographical  sketch  of  Thomas  Wright  (17-?),  author  oi  Louthiana,  a  quarto, 
with  copper-plates,  on  the  antiquities  of  the  County  Louth  ?  He  also  wrote  (according  to  the 
title-page  of  that  work)  The  Physical  and  Mathematical  Elements  of  Astronomy.  When  and 
where  was  it  published  ?  Perhaps  some  bibliographical  reader  of  these  notes  can  tell  me  the 
difference,  if  any,  in  the  first  and  second  editions  o^  Louthiana,  or  should  there  be  a  portrait 
of  the  author  as  frontispiece.  My  copy  has  none,  but  that  in  the  Reference  Library  of  this 
city  has  one.  It  is  the  Comerford  copy.  In  the  Introduction  to  Grose's  Antiquities  of 
Ireland,  edited  by  Dr.  Ledivich,  there  is  a  reference  (p.  xiii.)  to  a  copy  of  Wright's  Louthiana, 
with  MS.  additions  by  Wright— "  Now  [1797]  the  property  of  George  Allen,  Esq.,  of 
Darlington,  Yorkshire."     It  would  be  interesting  to  know  if  that  copy  is  still  in  existence. 


58  NOTES    AND    QUERIES. 

The  Arms  of  Carlingford.— In  Lewis's  Topographical  Dictionary  of  Ireland  is  d 
cut  representing  the  arms  of  the  Corporation  of  Carlingford,  which  Fox-Davis  ( I'he  Book  oj 
Public  Aims,  see  page  20,  plate  67)  describes  as  "  Man  armed  cap-a-pie,  brandishing  in  his 
dexter  hand  a  sword,  and  between,  in  chief,  an  eagle  rising  from  a  demi-globe,  and  in  base  a 
tower  ;  on  the  dexter  are  three  birds,  two  and  one,  and  on  the  sinister  side  a  ship  of  three 
masts."  It  would  be  interesting  to  know  something  more  about  this,  now  defunct,  corpor- 
ation arms.  That  portion  of  the  device  described  as  "three  birds,  two  and  one,"  is  very 
like  a  copy  of  the  arms  of  Dundalk. 

Duneairn  Press.— In  1856  was  published  The  Private  Diarie  of  Elizabeth  Viscountess 
Moniaunt  (1656-78),  with  a  memoir  of  the  writer  by  Lord  Roden.  I  should  be  glad  to  get 
particulars  of  it. 

The  Physieo  Historical  Society,  founded  in  1744,  under  whose  auspices  were 
published  Smith's  Histories  of  Cork,  Kerry,  and  VVaterford,  and  Wright's  Louthiana,  under- 
took to  publish  histories  of  Fermanagh  and  Monaghan  counties,  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Madden 
and  Rev.  Philip  Skelton.  This  Society,  however,  ceased  to  exist  after  two  years,  and  was 
succeeded  by  the  Royal  Irish  Academy.  What  became  of  its  books  and  documents?  Two 
volumes  of  the  Society's  minutes  were  extant  when  Whitelaw,  Warburton,  and  Walsh  pub- 
lished their  History  of  Dublin  (London,  1818,  2  vols.) 

Matthew  M 'Carte,   Liverpool. 

Maelelland.— Information  desired  of  the  early  Maclelland  (or  MtClellandJ  family  in 
North  of  Ireland.  The  family  went  from  Kirkcudbright,  Scotland,  at  period  known  as  the 
Ulster  Plantation. 

Member,  or  members,  of  the  family  migrated  to  Chester  Co.,  Penn.,  U.S.,  prior  to  1763. 
Names  and  dates  of  those  who  first  came  to  America,  and  where  they  lived,  and  from  what 
part  of  Ireland  they  went,  and  history  of  their  ancestors  desired. 

Also,  history  of  Thomas  Sharp  and  Margaret  Elder,  his  wife,  who  settled  in  Cumberland 
Co.,  Penn.,  U.S.,  about  1746,  at  which  time  they  had  adult  children.  Margaret  Elder  said 
to  be  daughter  of  a  Scottish  laird. 

The  first  Alaclelland  authentically  known  in  America  was  Thomas,  who,  in  1763  or  '64, 
married  for  his  second  wife  one  Janet  Trimble,  at  Newburg,  Cumberland  Co.,  Penn.  His 
first  wife  is  said  to  have  been  Jane  Mitchell;  whether  married  in  Ireland  or  in  Chester  Co., 
Penn.,  not  known  to  descendants. 

Thomas  S.   Maclelland,  417,  Superior  St.,  Chicago,  Illinois,  U.S.A. 

Old  Belfast. — In  the  burial  registry  of  the  Plrst  Presbyterian  Congregation  the 
following  places  are  mentioned  :— Long  Causy,  Back  Rampart,  Malt  Mill,  Hole  of  the  Wall, 
Glasshouse,  Back  of  the  Green,  The  Waterside.     Where  were  these  places  situated  ? 

C.   S. 
Burning-.— It  is  noted  in    The  Scots    Worthies,  "Life  of  Alexander  Peden,"  that  in 
1682  a  servant  girl  of  William  Steel,  of  Glen  wherry,  was  burned  at  Carrickfergus  for  child 
murder.      Did  this  mean  that  she  was  branded,  or  that  she  was  burned  at  the  stake  ? 

C.  S. 


Hnawcre  to  (Queries. 

John  Abernethy,  A.M.— In  reply  to  F.  J.  B.,  in  page  195,  vol.  iv.  There  was  a 
portrait  of  John  Abernethy,  a.m.  (16S0-1740),  Presbyterian  minister  of  Antrim,  painted  by 
James  Latham,  the  Irish  Vandyck,  which  was  engraved  in  mezzotint  by  Faber,  also  by  Brooks. 
A  copy  of  the  former  hangs  in  the  vestry  of  the  First  Belfast  Presbyterian  Congregation. 
I  have  a  copy  of  the  second.  The  portrait  of  his  grandson,  the  celebrated  John  Abernethy, 
K. R.S.,  was  painted  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  and  hangs  in  Saint  Bartholomew's  Hospital, 
London,  and  has  often  been  engraved. 

Alexander  Gordon,  a.m.,  I\Linchester. 


►I^ 


LAVENS   MATHHWSON    EWART. 

Died  ijth  Dccenibt-i,   iSgS. 


ULSTER  JOURNAL 

OF 

Archeology 


Vol.  V. 


FEBRUARY,    1899. 


No.  2. 


Xavcns  nDatbcw90u  BEwart: 

Death  has  caused  the  first  gap  in  the  ranks  of  the 
founders  of  this  journal.  It  is  now  nearly  five  years 
since  the  effort  was  made  to  start  this  magazine,  an  1 
he  who  has  now  passed  away  from  us  was  one  of  the 
most  active  in  that  work.  Previous  to  our  initial 
meeting  at  Ardrie,  and  until  his  lamented  death,  his 
counsel  and  advice  had  been  freely  extended  to  those 
who  pressed  on  the  venture  ;  and,  to  the  end,  he  took 
the;  keenest  interest  in  its  welfare  and  success,  placing 
his  time,  his  hospitality,  and  his  literary  resources  at 
the  service  of  one  and  all  who  worked  in  the  different 
phases  of  local  history  and  archx'ology,  ever  preferring 
to  assist  others  rather  than  stand  as  the  author  him- 
self. His  genial  presence  and  kindly  counsel  will  he 
missed,  and  the  place  which  he  filled  in  the  front 
rank  of  Irish  antiquaries  will  remain  vacant,  for  there  is  no  one  amongst  us 
who  would  essay  to  step  into  the  place  which  he  so  worthily  filled. 

Of  his  family  and  private  life  it  is  not  for  us  to  speak  here,  or  to  draw 
apart  the  curtain  which  shades  the  sanctity  of  the  home;  but  the  joy  and 
delight  of  that  home  circle  will  ever  remain  a  sweet  memory  to  those  who  sat 
around  his  table  at  (rlenbank,  or  strolled  with  him  amidst  his  well-loved 
flowers,  or  walked  in  the  summer  evening  to  the  village  church  which  he  so 
dearly  loved.  As  a  student  and  a  man  of  letters  we  knew  him  best,  but  as  a 
friend  we  loved  him  most  ;  and  although  to  the  larger  circle  his  library,  his 
knowledge,  and  his  infiuence  only  were  known,  yet  to  us  the  warm  clasp  of 
the  hand  and  the  word  of  welcome  still  speak,  and  dim  the  eye,  when  volumes 
are  cold  and  lifeless  things,  and  dry  records  fail  to  .satisfy.  What  he  did, 
he  did  well ;  sparing  neither  care  nor  expense  in  thoroughly  and  exhaustively 
carrying  out  what  he  undertook  to  do.  His  interests  were  many,  and  the 
work  he  accomplished  considerable ;  but  the  help  he  afforded  to  others  was 
boundless.     Ever  unobtrusive,  and  never  self  asserting,  he  praised  and  loved 


6o 


TEAMPULL    LASTRAC,    DUNSEVERIC,   CO.    ANTRIM. 


the  well-doer,  and  extended    the  mantle  of   charity  to   those  whose  actions 
merited  a  severer  treatment. 

"  His  life  was  gentle  ;  and  the  elements 

So  mix'd  in  him  that  Nature  might  stand  up 
And  say  to  all  the  world — This  was  a  man  !  " 
While  we  grieve  his  loss,  and  extend  to  those  he  has  left  behind  him  our 
deep  sympathy  in  their  visitation,  yet  we  are  proud  and  thankful  to  have 
been  associated  with  one  so  truly  noble ;  whose  qualities  were  so  worthy  of 
emulation,  and  whose  character  was  so  altogether  lovely.  May  his  example 
live  again  in  his  sons,  and  may  the  bright  reflection  of  his  many  good 
qualities  ever  fall  upon  those  who  were  associated  with  him  in  his  work 
and  studies.  F.  J.   B. 


^campull  Xaetrac,  Buneeveric,  Co.  antrim» 

By  FRANCIS   JOSEPH    RIGGER  and  WILLIAM   J.  FENNELL. 

I  hh  ^<^  HE  ruins  of  this  church,  locally  known  as  Temple-lassaragh, 
are  picturesquely  situated  on  the  cliffs  at  the  west  end  of 
■^^1^1  Whitepark  Bay,  and  immediately  above  Portbraddan.  The 
patron  saint,  as  Bishop  Reeves  points  out,  was  doubtless 
Lassara,  after  whom  the  church  was  called.  Lassara 
means  a  flame,  and  may  have  something  to  do  with  the  local  tradition  that 
the  present  name  means  "the  flaming  church." 

It   was  believed    that    the  first 

church  builders  selected  a  site, 
still  marked  by  a  graveyard  and 
used  as  such,  about  12  perches  to 
the  north  of  TempuU  Lastrac;  and 
that  the  walls  of  it  were  ever  thrown 
down,  and  a  flame  observed  at 
night  above  the  site  of  the  present 
church.  The  builders  thus  saw 
that  they  had  not  chosen  the  right 
place  for  their  church,  and  at  once 
proceeded  with  the  erection  of 
TempuU  Lastrac  as  we  know  it 
now. 

It  is,  however,  more  probable 

that  the  saint  himself  was  the  only 

"light  in  a  dark  place,"  and  that 

the  present  ruins  are  a  later  church 

_  ,  ,  erected    close   to    the    site    of  an 


•Old: 


TEAMPULL    LASTRAC,    DUNSEVERIC,    CO.    ANTRIM. 


earlier  Celtic  structure,  there  being  little  community  of  feeling  between  the 
two  sets  of  founders.  The  present  ruins  may  date  from  the  twelfth  or  thirteenth 
century;  whilst  the  older  church  may  date  from  the  eighth  or  ninth. 
We  frequently  find  these  earlier  churches  superseded  by  larger  and  later 
erections,  just  as  the  early  Celtic  races  were  crushed  and  pushed  aside  by  the 
more  vigorous  and  oppressive  Normans.  A  very  good  example  of  this  is  to  be 
seen  at  the  two  ruined  churches  of  Ardboe,  County  Tyrone. 

This  is  probably  the  site  referred  to  in  the  Tripartite  Life :  "Suae  bene- 
dictionis  intuitu  promuererit — quod  tria  haec  loca  Deo  consecrata,  Rathairthir, 
Sean  Domnach  in  Magach  et  Sen  Domuach  Juxto  Dun-Sohhairche  ab  hoste 
nunquam  diruantur," '"  which  can  be  rendered  :— In  consequence  of  his 
blessing,  he  merited  that  these  three  places,  consecrated  to  God— Rathairthir, 
Sean  Domnach  in  Magach,  and  Sean  Domnach  near  Diinseveric — should 
never  be  destroyed  by  an  enemy. 

The    measurements    of 


OldCfoss 


^iaa. 


f 


r^ 


the    church    are    carefully 

given  in  the  annexed  plan. 

The  west  wall,  which  con- 
tained the  door,  has  entirely 

disappeared,   save   a    small 

corner    at    the    north-west, 

into    which     the    rude    in- 
scribed    cross     has     been 

built.      This   cross   slab   is 

42    inches    high,    and     13 

inches     wide,    and     bears 

every    evidence    of     great 

antiquity;  much  older  than 

the  church  into  which  it  is 

at  present  built.      It  is  here  accurately  depicted. 

The  following  are  all  the  inscriptions  on  the  modern  gravestones  in  this 

churchyard  :  Here 

lyeth  the  BoDy 
Cathrine  M  Cain 
who  departed  this 


■  <?jr^  •"f^L/^jQ'?"' 


>a 


?Y^ 


John   Holliwoods 

Here  lieth  his  father 

&    Mother    Laurence 

and  Margaret 


(1)  Bishop  Reeves's  Ecclesiastical  Antiquities,  p.  28 


life     the     9     of     November 
181 1   Aged  61   years  wife  to 

WiUiam  M'^Cain 
Late      of      Bushmills      who 


Departed         this 

th 

17    of     March     i 
1813       Aged 


life  y 
n  the  year 
70        years. 


62 


TEAMPULL     LASTRAC,    DUNSEVERIC,    CO.    ANTRIM. 


This  inscription  is  on  a  stone  at 
the  west  wall  of  the  yard,  near  the 
entrance  gate  : 

This 

Stone 

was       Erected       by 

Archd      Black        of 

Lisbelnagroughmore 

in      memory      of     his      father 

d 

Arch      Black      who      departed 

th 

this  life  the   28  of   April    1855 

Aged  75  years 
Also     his     wife     Elila      Black 
who  departed   this   life  desem- 
ber    16^''    1856  Aged    73   years 


The  following  two  are  on  stones 
in  the  interior  of  the  church  : 

In  memory  of  William 
Morrison  of  the  Crann- 
aught  who  died  the  2^<'' 
o  of  August  1829 
Aged  59  years 


Here 

lieth  the 
body        of        Jean 
Holliday  aged 

8  months     She    de 
parted       this       life 

April  14'h         I7gg 


The    remainder   are    on    stones 
south  of  the  church  : 

In  memory  of 

Elizabeth    Morrison 

the    beloved  wife  to  Dan'  Laverty 

of     Carnoolp    who    departed    this 

life   I2'h  April   1857  aged  84  years 


Here   lieth   the 
body    of   James    M 
Leese     who     depar 
ted      this     life     the 
3"  of  October  1790 

Aged    28  years 


To  the  Memory  of 

Alexander  M  Laughlin 

Croaghbeg 

Who  died    28"^  Janv  1865 

Aged  88  years 

Also  his  beloved  wife 

Rachel 

Who  died  28  Jany   1855 

Aged    62  years 

Erected  by  their  son 

Daniel   M  Laughlin 

Melbourne 


Erected 

by 

James  A  M'^Laughlin 

A  raboy 

in   memory  of  his  father 

William   M  Laughlin 

who  died    io">  March   1865 

Aged   44  years 


Erected 

by 

Robert     Glenn    Drummagee- 

in  memory  of  his   dear  wife 

Bella 

who  died  iS  November  1S78 

Aged  62  years 


Xcatbcr  lfin^o  in  Ipcat  B006. 

By  \V.  J.  KNOWLES,  m.k.i.a. 

n'svA  INDS  in  our  peat  bogs  are  numerous;  but  I  fear  they  are 

f-   not  ahvays  recorded  in  our  journals  or  even  in  the  news- 

^jS    papers.     Several  articles  of  leather  from  various  districts 

[y^^^M^    have  come  into  my  own  possession,  an  account  of  which 

>Oj^a^     may  interest  the  readers  of  the  Ulster  Journal  of  Anhceology. 

A  short  time  ago,  I  obtained  from  a  travelling  dealer  a  leather  shoe,  which 
is  shown  in  fig.  i.  It  was  found  whilst  turf  was  being  cut  in  a  bog  in  the 
townland  of  Deerfin,  about  three  miles  from  Ballymena.  It  is  nine  inches 
long,  and  probably  belonged  to  a  female.  This  specimen  is  made  out  of  a 
single  piece  of  leather,  and  the  only  seams  are  the  one  shown  in  the  figure 
on  the  top  of  the  shoe  and  a  short  one  behind  at  the  heel.  The  seam  in 
front  appears  to  have  been  sewn  with  gut,  and  that  at  the  heel  with  a  fine 
thong  of  leather.  The  sewing  is  very  peculiar.  The  two  sides  are  drawn 
very  closely  together,  and  show  a  neat  zigzag  joining.  Two  pieces  of  leather, 
one  at  each  side  of  the  seam,  at  the  part  called  the  shoe-mouth,  are  so 
arranged  as  to  cross  each 
other,  and  form  a  kind  of 
ornament.  A  hole  at  each 
side  was  evidently  intended 
for  a  strap  to  keep  the  shoe 
firm  on  the  foot.  There  is 
no  vestige  of  hair,  and  the 
leather  has  evidently  been 
tanned. 

A  second  shoe  from  a 
bog  in  the  townland  of 
Cross,  about  four  miles 
from  Ballymena,  is  shown 
in  fig.  2.  It  is  very  simi- 
lar to  fig.  I ;  and  I  keep 
the    two    specimens    as    a  ^^^'-  ^-  ^'^"  ^• 

pair,  as  one  is  right  and  the  other  left ;  but  it  will  be  seen  that  the  upper 
of  fig.  2  comes  farther  up  on  the  foot  than  that  of  fig.  i,  and  the 
ornament  at  the  end  of  the  seam  is  a  little  more  elaborate.  It  cannot  be  said 
that  this  specimen  was  made  of  a  single  piece  of  leather.     It  would  appear 


64  LEATHER    FINDS    IN    PEAT    BOGS. 

that  the  leather  was  too  thin  for  a  shoe,  and  two  pieces  were  put  together  to 
bring  the  thickness  up  to  the  desired  extent.  Those  two  pieces  would  appear 
to  have  been  cemented  together,  and  in  their  united  thickness  even  now 
appear  in  some  places  as  only  a  single  piece  of  leather.  The  sewing  is  in 
every  respect  of  a  similar  kind  to  that  of  the  first  specimen,  but  slightly  finer. 
There  are  no  holes  at  the  sides  for  a  strap  in  this  case,  which  was 
probably  not  required  on  account  of  the  greater  length  of  the  upper.  These 
shoes  have  probably  contracted  somewhat  since  they  were  found ;  but  if  they 
belonged  to  full-grown  persons,  the  feet  were  comparatively  small  and  well 
formed. 

Sir  William  Wilde,  in  the  Catalogue  of  the  R.I. A.,  vol.  i.,  p.  284,  gives  an 
explanation  of  how  these  shoes  were  sewn.  Describing  a  specimen  with  a 
seam  similar  to  those  in  figs,  i  and  2,  he  says:  "The  front  seam  is  now  so 
very  close  as  to  form  a  regular  zigzag  pattern,  produced,  no  doubt,  when  the 
leather  was  wet,  and  each  side  drawn  so  tightly  as  to  indent  the  opposite  edge." 
I  have  asked  the  opinion  of  a  very  experienced  shoemaker,  who  takes  an 
interest  in  his  business,  and  has  even  a  collection  of  old  boots  and  shoes  of 
about  a  century  old  or  thereabouts,  that  he  may  compare  the  workmanship 
of  other  times  with  that  of  the  present  day,  concerning  the  sewing  on  those 
specimens  from  the  bogs,  and  I  could  see  that  he  was  puzzled  as  to  the  way 
in  which  the  work  was  done.  He  differed  from  Sir  WiUiam  Wilde,  whose 
description  I  read  to  him,  and  said  the  teeth-like  portions  on  each  side  must 
have  been  cut  before  being  sewed;  and  when  the  teeth  on  each  side  were 
dovetailed  into  each  other,  one  thread  was  run  up  so  as  to  catch  all  the  teeth, 
and  then  drawn  tight  and  knotted.  A  competent  seamstress  who  was  present 
differed  from  the  shoemaker,  and  believed  that  the  sides  were  straight  when 
first  joined  together.  I  am  myself  of  the  opinion  that  the  edges  were  straight 
when  they  were  joined,  and  that  it  is  the  peculiarity  of  the  sewing  that  has 
caused  the  zigzags;  but  however  doctors  may  differ,  I  can  certify  that  the 
seam  is  equally  well  finished  on  both  outside  and  inside,  and  that  no  appear- 
ance of  a  thread  can  be  seen.  In  the  second  specimen,  where  the  double  ply 
of  leather  is  used  in  forming  the  shoe,  it  is  only  in  some  places  that  the  edges 
appear  separated;  in  other  parts,  as  I  have  stated,  they  look  like  one  piece 
of  leather.  On  asking  the  shoemaker's  opinion  on  this  point,  he  said  he  could 
cement  two  pieces  of  thin  leather  together  so  that  they  would  appear  as  one 

thick  piece;  but  when  I  asked  him  if 
he  thought  his  cementing  would  last 
a  burial  of  several  centuries  in  a  bog, 
he  answered  me  candidly  that  he  did 
not  believe  it  would. 

A   third   shoe,   probably  that   of  a 
man,  is  shown  in  fig.  3.      It  was  found 


LEATHER    FINDS    IN    PEAT    BOGS.  65 

in  Kellswater  bog,  near  Bally mena,  and  is  also  made  of  tanned  leather,  but 
of  a  much  thicker  kind  than  that  of  which  the  specimens  previously  described 
were  made.  Although  it  is  also  apparently  made  of  a  single  piece,  it  is 
differently  designed.  The  joining  of  the  upper  to  the  sole  is  made  by  a 
seam  round  the  outer  margin,  and  has  been  sewn  on  the  inside,  and  the  shoe 
then  turned  over.  Lines  which  look  like  seams  running  up  the  centre,  and 
terminatmg  in  a  tongue  with  three  oval  holes,  have  been  neatly  cut  to  a  slight 
depth  with  a  knife,  and  are  intended  to  be  ornamental.  The  heel  is  also 
ornamented  with  raised  lines,  which  must  have  been  formed  by  paring  away 
part  of  the  substance  of  the  leather  on  each  side.  Very  neat  and  careful 
workmanship  is  also  shown  on  this  specimen.  There  are  three  holes  on  each 
side  for  thongs  to  fasten  the  shoe  securely.      It  is  eleven  inches  in  length. 

In  vol.  i.  (introductory  volume  by  W.  K.  Sullivan)  of  O'Curry's  Manners 
and  Customs  of  the  Ancient  Irish,  p.  cccxcvii.,  the  most  ancient  form  of 
covering  for  the  feet  is  described  : 

"  In  its  most  primitive  form  it  consisted  of  a  piece  of  raw  hitle,  with  the  hair  outward, 
fastened  about  the  foot  with  thongs.  This  was  the  Brocc  eile,  or  thong-stitched  shoe.  They 
were  cut  out  of  green  hide,  and  fastened  on  while  fresh,  so  as  to  assume  the  form  of  the  foot 
as  they  dried.  This  description  agrees  perfectly  with  that  given  by  Sidonius  Apollinaris  of 
the  shoes  of  the  Burgundians,  or  some  Western  Gothic  people  of  the  fifth  century.  The 
shoes  found  on  a  corpse  exhumed  in  181 7  in  a  Friesland  bog  were  of  the  same  kind.  Examples 
of  a  like  kind  have  been  found  in  Swabian  graves  at  Lupfen.  Sometimes  the  Citaians,  or 
skin  shoes,  were  tanned  after  they  had  assumed  the  shape  of  the  foot.  Such  tanned  shoes 
were  often  ornamented  with  designs  cut  into  the  leather." 

As  will  be  seen  from  the  quotation  I  have  made,  shoes  of  the  kind 
described  were  nut  confined  to  Ireland,  but  were  pretty  widely  distributed  in 
North-Western  Europe  in  the  early  centuries  of  our  era.  A  good  many 
specimens  are  in  the  museum  of  the  Royal  Irish  Academy ;  and,  as 
appears  from  the  catalogue,  they  were  mostly  found  in  bogs.  Some 
examples  have  been  procured  from  crannogs  (see  \Vood-Martin's  Lake 
Dwellings  of  Ireland,   p.   143   and  plate  xxxv.) 

The  art  of  n:iaking  them  has  descended  to  our  own  times,  as  is  seen 
by  the  "pampooties"  used  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Aran  Islands, 
off  the  coast  of  Galway.  "  Rivlins,"  similar  single-piece  shoes,  are  still 
used  in  the  Shetlands  (see  one  figured  in  the  Catalogue  of  the  National 
Museum  of  Antiquities  of  Scotland,  p.  353;  also,  Mitchell's  Past  in  the  Present, 

P-  93)- 

Fig.  4  is  a  leather  bag,  17  inches  long  and  13}^  inches  wide  when 
flattened  out.  The  bottom  and  sides  have  been  sewn  with  strong  leather 
thong,  and  provision  was  made  for  closing  the  bag  by  pulling  a  thong,  which 
still  remains  in  the  holes  round  the  mouth.  It  was  found  in  a  bog  near 
Culbane  brickworks,  about  a  mile  from  Portglenone,  on  the  County  Derry 
side  of  the  river  Bann,  during  the  cutting  of  turf,  about  eight  or  ten  feet  from 


66 


LEATHER    FINDS    IN    PEAT    BOGS. 


the  surface.  A  leather  strap, 
roughly  mended,  was  found 
with  it  and  is  shown  as  fig. 
4A.  A  second  bag  was  found 
near  the  same  place,  but  it 
was  cut  through  by  the  peat 
spade,  and  was  not  preserved. 
Fig.  5  is  a  portion  of  an 
animal's  hide — probably  that 
of  a  cow.  It  is  at  present 
about  7^2  feet  long,  by  2}2 
feet  in  diameter  at  the  widest 
part,  and  is  tanned.  All  over 
the  hide,  stjuarish  pieces, 
about  three  inches  in  diameter, 
have  been  cut  out,  leaving 
strips  connecting  each  other 
of  about  an  inch  or  inch  and 


Fig.  4A. 


half  in  diameter,  giving  the  whole 
the  appearance  of  a  wide-meshed  net. 
It  was  found  surrounding  a  wooden 
vessel  in  Tullyreagh  bog,  and  had  pro- 
bably been  used  in  carrying  the  vessel. 
Only  a  small  portion  of  this  article  is 
shown  in  the  figure. 

We  find  in  the  volume  of  O'Curry's 
Manners  and  Customs^  from  which  I 
have  already  quoted,  that  the  ancient 
Irish  had  various  kinds  of  bags.  "  For 
the  purpose  of  the  Toilet  there  were 
leathern  wallets,  or  Tiags, 
which  were  often  ornamented  with 
embossed  patterns,  in  which  ladies  kept 
their  veils,  diadems,  ear-rings,  and 
other  personal  ornaments"  (p.  ccclvii.) 
There  were  also  Faifs,  or  leather  bottles.  "  Besides  the  Fait,  or  leather  bottle, 
and  the  Tiag,  or  leathern  wallet,  there  were  other  kinds  of  leather  bags, 
used  for  holding  various  articles,  such  as  the  Crioll,  or  bags  made  of  pieces 
of  leather,  stitched  together  with  thongs,  spoken  of  in  the  Lectures,  and  which 
were  used  for  covering  shrines,  books,  etc."  (p.  ccclviii.)  A\'e  find  that 
"This  CrioU-making  was  a  trade  by  itself,  but  included  the  making  of 
leather   bottles.      The  maker   was    called   a   Ckaraidhe,   from   C/e?a,   a  word 


PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY. 


67 


synonymous  with  Crioll,  and  he  was  also  called  a  Pafairc,  from  Paif,  a  l)ottle, 
when  he  practised  that  branch  of  the  trade.  The  brogue  maker,  or  Citaraiiaii^h, 
sometimes  made  bag  and  bottle  making  part  of  his  trade." '" 

In  Miss  Stokes's  Early  C/n-istuut  Art  in  Ireland  there  is  a  cha[)ler  on 
"  Hook  Satchels."  At  p.  50  she  says  :  '•  It  will  be  necessary  to  mention  the 
leathern  satchels,  called  polaircs,  in  which  these  books  were  carried,  or  were 
hung  upon  the  walls  of  the  chamber  in  the  monastery  or  tower,  where  they 
were  preserved."  Some  were  ornamented.  "At  the  upper  angles  are  affixed 
strong  leathern  straps,  fastened  with  leather  ties  to  a  broader  central  strap, 
which  passed  over  the  shoulders,  and  by  which  the  volume  was  suspended 
round  the  neck  "  (p.  51).  The  bag  shown  in  fig.  4  may  very  well  have  fulfilled 
the  duties  of  a  book  satchel,  though  one  can  easily  see  that  it  would  have 
been  a  useful  article  for  many  less  honourable  purposes. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  reference  to  objects  like  the  piece  of  hide, 
but  it  also  would  answer  the  purpose  of  a  bag,  and  was,  no  doubt,  a  useful 
article  for  carrying  heavy  things;  and  the  fact  of  its  having  been  found 
surrounding  the  wooden  vessel,  which  contained  something  of  the  nature  of 
bog  butter,  would  suggest  that  this  net-like  piece  of  leather  had  been  employed 
in  that  way,  and,  with  its  contents,  had  been  laid  down,  and  had  remained 
in  the  place  it  was  deposited  till  recently  found  by  the  peat-cutter  in  our 
own  day. 


pcreonal  IRccolIcctions  of  tbc  Bcoinniiio  of  tbc 
Century. 

By   THOMAS   iMcTEAR. 

Edited,  with  Noies,  by  Francis  Joseph  Bigcer,  m.r.i.a. 

(Readers  zvill  observe  that  this  aicoiint,  relating  to  events  which  ociurred  at  the  beginning 
of  the  century,  7twr  written  about   1SS2.  > 

WAS  born  at  Hazel  Bank,  Whitehouse,  in  April,  1800, 
the  second  surviving  son  of  David  McTear,  whose  family 
consisted  of  three  sons  and  four  daughters,  who  attained 
mature  age. 

I,  therefore,  first  saw  the  light  during  the  fourth  month 
of  the  last  year  of  the  last  century;  and  looking  down  from  an  elevation  of 
eighty  two  years,  of  which  fifty  were  spent  in  active  employment,  I  may 
consider  myself  competent  to  record  the  position  of  commerce,  manufactures, 
religion,  education,  and  society  generally,  at  the  early  part  of  the  century, 
contrasted  with  those  of  the  present  time. 

(I)  O'Curiy's  Manners  and  Customs,  vol.  iii.,  p.  117. 


68         PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY. 

After  receiving  a  primary  education  at  a  juvenile  school  in  Belfast,  kept 
by  a  then  celebrated  lady,  Mrs.  Lament,  I  was  sent,  together  with  my  younger 
brother  James,  to  a  boarding-school  for  boys  at  Carrickfergus,  kept  by  the 
Rev.  Edward  Groves.  We  remained  there  until  the  summer  of  1814,  when  the 
Belfast  Academical  Institution,  then  just  built,  was  opened,  and  my  brother 
and  I  entered  it  among  the  very  first  pupils.  I  was  placed  in  the  classical, 
or  higher,  department,  under  the  charge  of  the  Rev.  Andrew  O'Beirne,  d.d., 
and  my  brother  in  the  English,  or  lower,  department,  under  the  charge  of 
James  Knowles,  the  father  of  the  celebrated  James  Sheridan  Knowles. 
I  finished  my  education  there  in  classics,  mathematics,  natural  history, 
chemistry,  etc.,  and  in  1816  I  was  placed  as  an  apprentice  in  the  commercial 
house  of  James  Cunningham  &  Co.,  of  Belfast,  where  my  elder  brother  George 
had  just  completed  his  time, — as  our  father  had  determined  that  all  his  three 
sons  should  become  merchants. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  find  a  more  unfavourable  time  for  commerce 
than  when  I  was  thus  initiated  into  its  mysteries.  I'he  wars  our  nation 
was  involved  in,  together  with  almost  all  Europe,  consequent  on  the 
revolution  in  France  and  the  subsequent  ambitious  views  of  the  first  Napoleon 
Bonaparte,  as  Consul  and  Emperor,  did  not  terminate  until  the  battle  of 
Waterloo,  in  June,  18 15,  when  the  Emperor  was  made  prisoner  and  sent  to 
the  island  of  St.  Helena  by  the  British  Government,  and  kept  a  prisoner 
there  until  he  died. 

On  the  death  of  James  Cunningham  the  firm  was  dissolved,  and  I  joined 
my  brother  George,  and,  under  the  name  of  George  and  Thomas  McTear, 
commenced  business  with  the  view  of  winding  up  the  affairs  of  James 
Cunningham  &  Co.,  and  continuing  whatever  might  appear  desirable. 

Education  of  the  lower  classes  had  never  been  much  thought  of,  or  indeed 
permitted.  There  was  a  society  in  Dublin,  called  the  Kildare  Street  Society, 
or  the  Church  Education  Society,  which  established  schools  all  over  Ireland 
for  the  education  of  the  poor.  There  were  no  public  schools  except  for  those 
who  could  pay  well.  In  my  earliest  experience  there  were  no  Sunday  or 
day  schools — even  the  clergy  set  their  faces  against  them — until  Joseph 
Lancaster  and  other  benevolent  men,  by  great  exertions  and  under  great 
difficulties,  established  many  free  schools  for  the  poor  in  different  parts  of 
the  United  Kingdom.  Among  the  first  of  these  was  the  Lancasterian  School, 
Frederick  Street,  Belfast,  now  called  the  Industrial  School :  but,  in  memory  of 
Joseph  Lancaster,  I  think  the  old  name  should  have  been  retained. 

The  attendance  at  public  worship  was  also  in  a  very  backward  state. 
As  a  sample  of  its  condition,  I  will  describe  the  position  of  my  native 
parish,  Carnmoney,  about  the  year  1820.  This  magnificent  and  rich 
parish  is  very  large,  containing  9,000  acres,  and  extending  along  the  bay  of 
Belfast  six  miles,  and  from  thence  to  Templepatrick,  fully  eight  miles,  and 


PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    KEGINNINc;    OF    THE    CENTURY.         69 

yet  contained  only  one  church,  one  Presbyterian  meeting  house  at  Ballyduff, 
and  no  Roman  CathoHc  place  of  worship,  nor  of  any  other  sect.  The 
old  parish  church  was  then  almost  a  ruin,  but  is  now  re[)laced,  on  the  same 
most  beautiful  site,  by  the  present  structure.  Sometimes  when  my  sisters 
and  I  walked  to  it  on  Sunday,  the  congregation  was  so  small  that  it  was 
considered  unnecessary  to  hold  the  service  in  the  church,  and  we  adjourned 
to  the  house  of  the  vicar  for  that  purpose.  The  Presbyterian  meeting-house 
was  well  filled,  the  greater  part  of  the  parish  being  of  that  persuasion.  Now, 
this  parish  contains  three  churches,  three  meeting-houses,  and  two  Roman 
Catholic  chapels,  all  of  which  have  overflowing  congregations,  and  have 
attached  to  each  of  them  one  or  more  national  schools  for  the  almost  free 
education  of  the  poorer  classes  ;  and  I  am  happy  to  state  that  almost  all 
the  parishes  in  Ireland,  but  especially  in  Ulster,  are  improved  in  a  similar 
manner. 

During  the  first  quarter  of  this  century  there  was  only  one  church  in  the 
parish  of  Shankill,  which  had  been  erected  by  the  Marquis  of  Donegall  about 
1776,  and  is  still  standing  in  Donegall  Street.  It  was  built  to  replace  the  old 
church  at  the  foot  of  High  Street,  which  had  gone  to  ruin  by  neglect,  and  had 
been  occupied  as  stables  for  troops.  There  were  two  Unitarian  meeting-houses 
in  Rosemary  Street,  the  ministers  being  Dr.  Bruce  and  Dr.  Drummond  ;  a 
Presbyterian  one,  also  in  Rosemary  Street,  of  which  Dr.  Hanna  was  minister; 
another  of  the  same  sect  in  Berry  Street;  and  a  Roman  Catholic  chapel  (St. 
Mary's)  in  Chapel  Lane.  That  is,  six  in  all  for  the  accommodation  of  45,000 
inhabitants,  which  gives  only  one  to  7,500  people.  There  was  no  other  place 
of  worship  for  the  entire  distance  (ten  miles)  between  Carrickfergus 
and  Belfast  but  the  two  mentioned  in  Carnmoney  :  and  they  are  two  miles 
at  least  from  the  direct  line  of  road.  On  the  south  side  of  the  town  there 
was  no  church  of  any  kind  between  Belfast  and  Lisburn,  only  the  small 
Unitarian  meeting-house  at  Dunmurry.  None  of  these  churches  had  schools 
attached  to  them. 

The  social  and  domestic  condition  of  the  people,  especially  of  the  poorer 
and  working  classes,  during  the  early  years  of  the  century,  was  wretched  in 
the  extreme.  Their  dwellings  were  mere  hovels,  and  their  food  very  coarse  and 
scanty,  consisting  chiefly  of  oatmeal  and  potatoes,  and  very  rarely,  if  at  all,  a  bit 
of  flesh  meat.  The  daily  wages  of  labouring  men,  not  exceeding  i/-  per  day, 
could  procure  them  no  better  food  ;  and  the  small  farmer  fared  not  much  better. 
It  was  not  until  after  the  famine  of  1846,  and  the  repeal  of  the  Corn  Laws,  and 
of  the  law  prohibiting  the  importation  of  animals  and  animal  food,  and  admitting 
those  articles  to  consumption  free  of  duty,  that  the  earnings  of  labouring  men 
became  more  than  doubled,  and  their  condition  bettered.  The  improvement 
in  the  social  and  moral  state  and  condition  of  all  classes,  during  the  past  thirty 
years,  has  become  very  evident.      Drunken   fights   and   quarrels  at   fairs  and 


70         PERSONAL    RECOLI.FXTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY. 

markets  were  more  common  than  quiet  buying  and  selling.  Bull-hailing  was 
one  of  the  common  amusements  in  the  centres,  and  almost  all  the  towns  in  the 
interior  of  Ireland  have  yet  their  squares  or  plots  named  "  Bull  Ring,"  as  the 
places  where  these  sports  were  held.  Cock-fighting  was  openly  practised  by 
high  and  low,  and  great  numl)ers  of  "cock-pits"  were  kept  in  every  town. 
I  myself  was  eye-witness  to  this  cock-fighting  in  Belfast  about  1808.  At  that 
time  I  was  sent  to  live  with  a  sister  of  my  mother,  who  had  married  James 
Hyndman,  that  I  might  attend  a  preparatory  school  for  boys,  in  company 
with  the  young  Hyndmans.  Their  house  was  in  Waring  Street,  the  third 
from  Hill  Street  towards  Uonegall  Street,  and  overlooked  a  large  yard  in  the 
rear,  with  its  entrance  from  Hill  Street.  This  yard  contained  a  cock-pit, 
uncovered ;  and,  from  the  back  windows  of  the  house,  we  had  a  fine  view 
of  this  cruel  sport.  The  fights  were  very  frequent,  and  were  attended  by 
gentlemen  of  the  town,  as  well  as  by  poorer  people  :  and  no  one  had  any 
idea  that  either  bull-baiting  or  cock-fighting  was  anything  else  than  a  most 
proper  and  gentlemanly  amusement. 

I  think  it  will  be  found  amusing,  and  also  instructive  of  the  customs  and 
ideas  of  our  ancestors,  if  I  here  insert  a  paragraph  from  the  Belfast  Neivs- 
Letter  of  13  March,  1739,  giving  an  account  of  one  of  these  cock-fights  : 

"A  great  cock-match,  fought  at  Randalstown,  between  Mr.  Randal  jNIacDunnell  and 
three  gentlemen  of  the  parish  of  Dunean,  for  three  guineas  a  battle  and  ten  guineas  the  main. 
Of  eleven  battles,  Mr.  MacDonnell  won  seven,  and  would,  undoubtedly,  have  gained  the 
whole,  had  not  the  opposite  party,  most  ungenerously,  fought  his  own  blood  against  him, 
contrary  to  the  rules  of  cocking,  and  to  the  manifest  destruction  of  this  noble  diversion. 
Mr.  MacDonnell,  having  above  sixty  pairs  of  cocks  ready  to  fly,  has,  upon  this  victory,  sent  a 
challenge  to  some  cockers  in  the  county  of  Derry,  to  shew  six  staff  of  cocks  on  2nd  Apiil 
next  for  fifty  pounds  ihe  main,  and  Mr.  MacDonnell  may  have  an  opportunity  of  demonslraling 
his  profound  skill  in  that  science,  and  convincing  the  world  that  his  cocks  are  of  the  best 
Ginger  kind,  and  the  best  that  ever  flew." 

This  did  not  end  the  dispute  between  Randal  MacDonnell  and  his 
opponents,  for  in  several  numbers  of  the  N^eivs-Leiter  the  matter  is  discussed 
with  apparently  more  zeal  than  the  war  on  the  Continent  ;  but  I  could  not 
discover  how  the  important  event  ended.  Now,  though  this  cock-fight 
occurred  about  seventy  years  i)revious  to  my  experience,  just  the  same  obtuse- 
ness,  as  to  the  cruelty  of  what  the  editor  calls  "  noble  diversion,"  was  continued 
in  my  early  days. 

Highway  robbery,  attacking  and  plundering  dwelling-houses,  stealing 
horses,  cattle,  and  sheep,  and  robbing  bleach-greens  of  linens,  were  quite 
common  occurrences  ;  and  I  have  a  clear  recollection,  when  attending  the 
assizes  of  the  county  of  Antrim  as  a  juror,  the  chief  part  of  the  time  of  the 
Court  was  spent  in  trying  such  cases.  At  that  time,  the  judges  had  the 
power  of  condemning  such  convicts  to  be  hanged  for  comnntting  any  of 
these  offences;  and  though  many  suffered  the  extreme  penalty,  it  did  not  seem 
to  have  the  effect  of  stopping  such  crimes. 


PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    HEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY. 


71 


NO.  5,   CASTLE-STItKKT,   BlilLFAST. 


1§2   t 


One  of  the  chief  scenes 
of  organized  highway  robbery 
in  the  North  of  Ireland  was 
the  mountain  road  l)etvveen 
Newry  and  Dundalk,  and  a 
district  called  Lurgan  (keen, 
between  Dundalk  and 
Drogheda.  I  remember  the 
first  occasion  of  my  visiting 
Dublin  was  some  time  before 
1820.  I  took  my  seat  outside 
the  day  mail-coach,  starting 
from  Belfast  at  six  o'clock 
on  a  fine  summer  morning. 
The  coach  was  only  allowed 
to  carry  eight  in  all,  four  in- 
side and  four  outside — none 
of  the  latter  allowed  to  sit 
behind  with  the  mails  and 
guards.  The  two  guards 
occupied  the  seat  at  the 
back  of  the  coach,  each 
armed  with  a  polished  brass 
blunderbuss  of  formidable 
dimensions,  and  loaded 
pistols  in  belt.  At  Newry 
the  coach  was  joined  by  a 
number  of  armed  dragoons 
(I  think  six),  who  accom- 
panied us  to  Dundalk,  where 

they  exchanged  for  another  party  of  dragoons,  who  conveyed  us  to  Drogheda. 
It  was  a  grand  turn-out.  I  had  not  the  luck  to  witness  a  fight,  but  I  have 
some  recollection  of  the  feeling  while  going  through  Lurgan  Green.  The 
authorities,  some  time  after,  succeeded  in  capturing  this  gang  of  bandits,  many  of 
whom  were  hanged  ;  and  that  part  of  the  country  has  been  peaceful  ever  since. 

My  first  recollection  of  a  steam  vessel  was  on  an  occasion  during  the 
summer  of  18 16.  I  was  taken,  with  other  boys,  boarders  in  the  Academical 
Institution,  down  to  the  quay  to  see  a  small  steamer,  carrying  passengers  only, 
that  had  just  arrived  from  Glasgow,  and  created  quite  a  sensation.  The  well- 
known  Dr.  Ure  was  at  that  time  Professor  of  Natural  Philosophy  at  Glasgow 
College,  and  the  managers  of  the  Belfast  Academical  Institution  arranged 
with   him   to   give  a  course   of   lectures  on  Science  to  the   students,   in  the 


A  LIGHT  POST  COACH, 

Starts  from  the  aljovc  Ofiice  ever>  Moming  o.t  P'ive  o'Clock,  passing  through 
Lisbum,  IMIslwrough,  Uroracie,  Banbridge,  Loughbricliland,  (slaps  at 
Newry  for  Breakfast,)  Dundolk,  Casllebeliingha^n,  D'l-ilEer,  Droglioda, 
Swords,  perfortnint;  the  journey  to  the  Comh  Ofnce, 

Sackville-Sireei,  Dublin. 

Tfl  Thirteen   Hours,  after  vvhirh  it  goes  direct  to 

^^     NO.   5,   BOLTON-STHEET, 

Where  it  discharges  the  remaining  Luggage,  and  Passengers  who  moy  pre- 
fer that  Establishment.     The  Coach  starts  from  the  adjoining 

Office,  No.  6, 

Every  Morning  a  Quarter  Past  Six  oTlock,  calling  for  Passengers  at  the 
Office,  Sackville-street,  and  pracccding  on  the  same-route,  (Breakfast  in 
Drogheda,)  and  arrives  at  the 

Office,  Belfast, 

At  Half-past  Eight  o'Clock   each  Evcniiig. 


1^12!"  Passe)ujers  are  requested  to  send  their  Luggage  he- 
fore  Eight  o"" Clock  in  the  Evening,  previous  to  their  start- 
ing from  the  Offices,  also  to  have  eachParcel  marked  with 
their  name. 


Fac-simile  of  Old  Dublin  Coach  Bill. 


72         PERSONAI,    RFXOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY. 

common  hall.  I  attended  these  lectures;  and,  on  the  day  mentioned,  the 
subject  was  "Steam  and  the  Steam  Engine,  and  its  application  to  propel 
Vessels  instead  of  Sails,"  which  was  then  beginning  to  attract  attention.  At 
the  close  of  this  lecture,  he  told  us  of  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  at  the  quay, 
and  proposed  that  as  many  of  the  pupils  as  chose  should  accompany  him  to 
view  the  vessel,  and  there  finish  the  lecture.  This  is  how  I  saw  my  first 
specimen  of  a  steamboat,  as  it  was  called.  Dr.  Ure  was  then  sanguine  of 
the  perfecting  of  the  steam-engine,  and  its  successful  application  to  navigation. 

The  subject  of  another  lecture  by  the  doctor  at  this  time,  I  may  as  well 
relate  here,  was  on  "Gases";  and,  in  the  course  of  it,  he  informed  us  of  the 
proposed  application  of  gas  from  coal  to  the  lighting  of  towns  and  houses, 
instead  of  by  means  of  the  very  inefficient  oil  lamps  and  candles  then  used  ; 
or  none,  as  was  the  case  in  many  towns,  etc.  In  illustration  of  this  subject 
he  had  prepared  a  common  iron  pot,  fitted  with  a  close  lid,  out  of  the  top  of 
which  projected  a  tube  made  of  common  tin  plate,  which  extended  to  the 
lecture  table;  and  at  the  end  was,  what  I  believed,  just  a  piece  of  tobacco  pipe 
as  a  burner.  This  pot,  containing  a  quantity  of  coal,  was  placed  on  the  fire, 
and  after  a  short  time,  on  applying  a  light  to  the  piece  of  tobacco  pipe, 
sufficient  illumination  was  given  to  lighten  the  table  and  the  hall,  which  had 
been  darkened  for  the  purpose.  This  was  my  first  knowledge  of  coal  gas; 
and  I  think  the  doctor  was  as  sanguine  on  this  subject  as  on  steam.  It  is 
now  plain  he  was  quite  justified,  for  both  have  succeeded. 

The  trade  between  Belfast  and  London,  Liverpool,  Glasgow,  etc.,  was  at 
this  time  conducted  by  sailing  vessels,  which,  although  good  and  well 
managed,  were,  of  course,  very  uncertain  in  their  arrivals  and  departures. 
The  London  traders  were  the  property  of  the  Langtrys  and  the  Herdmans  of 
Belfast ;  the  Liverpool  traders  were  partly  Langtry  and  Herdman's,  and  partly 
MacDonnell,  Pim  &  Co.'s;  and  the  Glasgow  traders  were  the  property  of 
George  Montgomery  of  Belfast.  When  it  became  evident  that  steam  vessels 
were  required  for  these  traders  from  Belfast,  none  of  these  parties  would 
consent  to  convert  their  sailing  vessels  into  steam  vessels,  and  therefore  the 
merchants  of  Belfast  originated  joint-stock  companies  for  the  purpose  of 
building  and  employing  suitable  steamers  for  each  of  the  above  lines. 
Accordingly,  a  steamship  of  large  size — "The  British  Queen,"  commanded 
by  Captain  MacKibben,  an  uncle  of  Mrs.  Hyndman — was  built  for  the 
London  line,  and  made  two  or  three  voyages,  until  she  foundered  in  the 
English  Channel,  with  the  loss  of  all  hands.  Sloan,  Charley  &  Sloan  were  the 
managers,  and  had  also  the  management  of  another  steamer  for  the  Liverpool 
trade,  named  the  "  Shamrock,"  which  made  her  first  voyage  from  Liverpool, 
3  December,  1824,  and  continued  the  trade  for  many  years;  but  when 
Langtry  &  Co.  found  this  was  destroying  their  sailing  vessels,  they  built  and 
brought  out  a  larger  steamship,  the   "Chieftain";  followed  by  another,   the 


PERSONAL    RECOLLKCTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY.          73 

"Corsair."  This  created  a  ruinous  opposition,  and  the  owners  of  the 
"Shamrock"  sold  the  vessel  to  the  City  of  Dublin  Steam-packet  Company, 
who  had  in  the  meantime  built  and  outfitted  a  great  number  of  steamers  for 
the  Liverpool  and  Dublin  trade,  on  condition  that  they  should  continue  to 
run  a  superior  steamer  between  Belfast  and  Liverpool  in  place  of  the 
"Shamrock,"  with  Sloan,  Charley  &:  Co.  as  agents,  and  that  the  value  of  the 
"Shamrock"  should  be  paid  by  shares  in  the  Dublin  company.  This  arrange- 
ment continued  many  years  after  the  trade  was  divided  between  them.  The 
Joint-Stock  Company,  formed  for  the  Belfast  and  Glasgow  trade,  under  the 
title  of  the  Belfast  and  Clasgow  Steamboat  Company  (C.orge  &  Thomas 
McTear,  managers  and  agents),  built  their  first  vessel,  the  "  Fingal,"  at 
Glasgow  ;  and  she  arrived  at  Belfast  on  her  first  voyage,  14  March,  1826,  and 
commenced  thence  the  regular  service  from  Belfast  on  Sundays  and 
Thursdays,  and  from  Glasgow  on  Tuesdays  and  I'>idays.  James  &  George 
Burns  were  appointed  agents  at  Glasgow ;  and  as  George  Montgomery 
immediately  laid  his  four  fine  new  smacks  up  till  the  "  Fingal "  should  have 
ruined  her  owners,  as  he  confidently  predicted  would  be  the  case,  there  was 
no  opposition,  and  consequently  the  trade  was  profitable.  I  should  have 
mentioned  that  Captain  Robert  Patterson  Ritchie  was  appointed  master  of 
the  "  Fingal,"  and  superintended  her  building  and  outfit.  He  was  the  only 
son  of  John  Ritchie,  of  Ritchie  &  MacLaine,  shipbuilders,  Belfast ;  and, 
consequently,  an  uncle  of  (ieo.  L.  MacLaine,  whose  mother  was  daughter  of 
John  Ritchie,  and  had  married  his  partner,  Alexander  MacLaine.  But  this 
company  was  too  successful  at  first;  and  a  very  formidable  opposition  company 
was  formed  against  it  in  Glasgow,  which  was  continued  for  some  time,  until  an 
arrangement  was  come  to,  which  divided  the  station  between  the  two  companies. 

There  was  then  a  second  opposition,  which  was  very  troublesome  and 
costly,  when  the  freights  and  passage  money  were  reduced  to  a  nominal 
amount.  This  brought  about  a  great  increase  in  both  goods  and  passengers, 
and  ended  by  another  division  of  the  station  into  thirds. 

In  the  meantime,  J.  &  G.  Burns  had  established  a  line  of  steamers  between 
Liverpool  and  Glasgow,  which  was  very  successful  ;  and  also  became  the 
agents  and  chief  owners  of  the  Cunard  line  of  large  steamers  between 
Liverpool,  Halifax,  N.S.,  and  New  York.  They  also  inherited  a  considerable 
fortune,  and  found  themselves  powerful,  with  plenty  of  wealthy  friends.  They 
then  commenced  to  buy  up  the  shares  of  the  companies  in  the  Belfast  and 
Glasgow  line,  in  which  they  succeeded  so  far  as  to  form  them  into  one 
company,  which  was  represented  in  Belfast  by  my  brother,  (leorge  McTear, 
until  the  time  of  his  death  in  187 1. 

This  is  a  short  history  of  the  wonderfully  successful  firm  of  James  & 
George  Burns  of  Glasgow,  who  have  conducted  this  important  service  daily, 
and  of  hie  twice  a  day  ;  carrying  the  mails  between   Ireland,  Scotland,  and 


74         PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY. 

North  of  England,  without  any  charge  to  the  General  Post  Office,  with  such 
spirit,  and  giving  so  much  satisfaction  to  the  public. 

I  may  here  state,  that  on  my  removing  to  Liverpool  in  1828,  I  ceased  to 
have  any  interest  in  the  steamboat  business  in  Belfast,  having  retired  in  favour 
of  my  brother  James ;  but  continued  on  most  friendly  terms  with  all  parties. 

Captain  Ritchie,  who,  on  the  death  of  his  father,  found  himself  indepen- 
dent, married,  late  in  life,  Euphemia  Thomson,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John 
Thomson  of  Carnmoney.'^'  He  lived  some  years  in  Liverpool,  and  returned 
to  Belfast  and  built  an  ironfoundry  in  Corporation  Street,  which  was  not 
prosperous,  and  is  now  part  of  the  premises  of  McTear  &  Co.,  Limited, 
felt  manufacturers. 

During  my  stay  in  Liverpool,  I  established  a  line  of  steamers  between 
Liverpool  and  Wexford,  Liverpool  and  Bristol,  calling  at  Swansea  and  also 
at  Wexford,  and  between  Liverpool  and  Dundalk.  All  of  these  became 
successful,  especially  the  latter,  which  is  still  in  existence.  Finding  myself 
badly  treated  by  both  these  companies,  and  that  the  pressure  of  such 
a  business,  without  sufficient  remuneration,  was  too  great  for  my  health, 
I  resigned  the  agency  of  both,  and  joined  parties  forming  an  establishment 
of  ship  brokers,  with  ships  trading  to  Brazil,  East  Indies,  and  China. 

The  first  volume  of  the  History  of  Beljast^  by  the  late  George  Benn,  gives 
a  full  account  of  its  origin  and  progress  till  the  end  of  the  last  century,  and 
he  had  intended  to  continue  this  history  in  a  second  volume,  which  should 
bring  it  down  to  the  present  time;  but  he  was  rendered  both  blind  and  deaf 
before  he  completed  it.      I  will,  therefore,  endeavour  to  repair  that  deficiency. 

As  I  have  no  means  of  inspecting  the  parliamentary  and  municipal  records 
of  the  borough,  I  am  compelled  to  confine  myself  to  a  description  of  its 
geographical  character  during  the  first  quarter  of  the  century  compared  with 
that  of  the  present  time. 

My  earliest  impression  of  Belfast  was  when  I  was  about  eight  years  old — 
that  is,  about  1808.  I  was  sent  to  stay  with  my  aunt  and  uncle  Hyndman, 
in  Waring  Street,  that  I  might  attend  a  juvenile  school  along  with  my  cousins, 
kept  by  Mrs.  Lamont,  at  the  house  yet  standing  in  Uonegall  Street,  corner  of 
Commercial  Court.  This  Mrs.  Lamont  was  a  remarkably  fine  lady,  and  a 
great  favourite  with  children.  She  wrote  amusing  books  for  the  young,  such 
Sisjack  the  Giant-killer,  etc.,  and  was  very  entertaining.  When  going  to  and 
from  this  school,  and  at  other  times,  we  had  many  scampers  round  the  town; 
and  I  entertain  vivid  impressions  of  its  streets  and  houses. 

(1)  The  Rev.  John  Thomson  was  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  congregation  in  the  parish  of  Carnmoney 
for  62  years,  and  cousin  of  the  Thomsons  of  Jennynioiint.  He  died  23  March,  1828,  aged  87  years.  His 
wife,  Jane,  was  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  William  Laird,  minister  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  congregation  in 
Rosemary  Street,  Belfast,  who  died  in  1791,  his  funeral  sermon  being  preach»d  by  the  Rev.  James  Bryson, 
afterwards  of  the  Fourth  congregation  \x\  pprjegall  .Street.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Sinclair  Kelbourn, 
of  volunteer  fame. 


PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY. 


75 


I  will  describe  first  the  outlet  from  Donegall  Street  towards  Carrickfergus 
as  it  appeared  to  me  at  that  time  and  during  some  years  after.  Walking  from 
the  house  in  Waring  Street  you  came  to  Donegall  Street,  where  the  Exchange 
building  and  Assembly-rooms  appeared  to  me  a  very  large  building.  It  was 
originally  erected  by  the  Marquis  of  Donegall,  at  his  own  cost,  and  granted 
to  the  town  free,  so  long  as  it  should  be  used  as  the  public  Exchange  and 
News-room.  When  the  town  extended,  this  building  was  considered  insufficient, 
and  the  present  Commercial  Buildings  were  erected  by  a  joint-stock  company 
to  replace  it,  and  it  was  accordingly  surrendered  to  the  present  Marquis. 
Some  time  after,  it  was  occupied  as  the  Belfast  Bank,  and  so  continues, 
but  its  appearance  has  been  much  changed.  It  had  open  arches  along  the 
front  of  the  basement,  ant!  for  half  the  frontage  to  North  Street  and  Donegall 
Street  with  iron  railed  gates.  In  the  inner  area  the  merchants  met  to  transact 
their  business.  Behind  was  the  news-room,  and  above  was  a  large  assembly- 
room.  The  site  of  the  Commercial  Buildings,  immediately  opposite,  was 
then  a  row  of  low,  ruinous  houses,  some  of  them  thatched  with  straw,  extend- 
ing from  Sugar-house  Entry  to  Ijridge  Street.  There  was  a  great  desire  on 
the  part  i*f  many  of  the  inhabitants  that  Donegall  Street  should  be  extended 
through  this  lot  to  High  Street,  in  a  straight  line  with  the  former  street, 
and  the  Commercial  Buildings  erected  between  it  and  Bridge  Street  :  but  it 
was  found  there  w^as  no  authority  to  undertake  so  great  a  transaction. 


Donegall  Street  and  the  Brown  Linen  Hall. 

From  a  Drau'iHo- by  T.  M.  Baynes. 

Passing  up  Donegall  Street  on  the  left  hand,  we  come  to  the  Brown 
Linen  Hall,  a  square  plot  of  enclosed  ground,  which  yet  exists  unused,  just 
as  in  these  early  times.  It  is,  and  was,  furnished  with  many  small,  raised 
platforms,  on  which  the  buyers  stood,  while  the  sellers  held  up  to  them 
the  webs  of  linen  they  wished  to  sell.  After  examination,  the  bargain  was 
struck ;  or,  if  not,  the  seller  took  his  articles  to  the  next  platform,  and  so  on. 
This  was  the  usual  process  in  those  days  of  buying  and  selling  linens  over  all 
Ulster,  and  the  merchants  and  their  servants  rode  on  horseback  continually 


76         PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY. 

from  one  market  town  to  another.  On  the  opposite  side  of  this  street, 
immediately  after  passing  Talbot  Street  (which  is  not  materially  altered),  stood 
the  Parish  Church,  St.  Aime's,  just  as  it  still  remains,  but  there  were  no  school 


Rev.  William  Bruce,  d.d. 


buildings  attached  as  now  ;  and  the  large  house  in  front,  next  Talbot  Street, 
was  the  residence  of  the  Vicar  for  the  time  being.  Rev.  William  Bristow  was 
Vicar  that  year  (1808),  and  died  then,  having  been  incumbent  from  1772.   After 


PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BECINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY.         77 

passing  this  church  we  come  to  Academy  Street,  so  named  because  the  Belfast 
Academy  occupied  most  of  the  west  side  of  the  street — a  large  plot  of  ground 
extending  to  what  is  now  York  Street,  and  fronting  Donegall  Street.  At  the 
west  corner  was  a  large  house,  the  dwelling  of  the  principal  of  the  academy. 
At  this  time  the  Rev.  William  Bruce,  d.d.,  resided  there  as  principal,  and  the 
schools  were  well  attended.  Dr.  Bruce  was  also  minister  of  the  First  Presl)y- 
terian  (Unitarian)  meeting-house  in  Rosemary  Street,  and  we  were  members 
of  his  congregation.  The  site  has  now  been  sold,  and  the  academy  removed 
to  new  buildings  at  Cliftonville. 

York  Street  comes  next.  It  did  not  then  exist  as  a  street,  but  only  as 
an  opening  to  the  rere  of  McCracken's  cotton  mill,  in  Y'ork  Lane,  and  to 
the  offices  and  stores  of  the  Stevensons  (linen  merchants),  who  lived  in  the 
large  house  now  known  as  the  Queen's  Hotel,  extending  from  Donegall 
Street  to  York  Lane.  We  now  pass  the  house,"*  then  the  residence  of 
John  McCracken,  behind  which  was  his  cotton  mill,  extending  back  to  York 
Lane,  which  is  still  standing,  but  not  as  a  cotton  mill.  Opposite  to  this  was 
the  Belfast  Foundry,  the  property  of  Messrs.  (ireg  &  Boyd,  and  managed 
by  an  extraordinary  clever  man.  Job  Rider.'"'  In  front  of  us,  looking  up 
Donegall  Street,  we  come  to  the  buildings  of  the  Belfast  Charitable  Society, 
standing  on  a  large  piece  of  land  granted  by  the  Marquis  of  Donegall,  as 
an  endowment  from  him  for  ever,  on  condition  that  it  should  be  conducted 
as  an  establishment  for  the  relief  of  the  aged  and  infirm  poor  inhabitants  of 
the  town,  and  for  the  education  and  support  of  poor  orplian  children.  The 
nucleus  of  this  institution  was  formed  in  the  year  1756,  when  a  number  of  the 
inhabitants  formed  themselves  into  a  society  for  the  purpose  of  affording 
relief  to  the  poor  of  the  town,  as  there  was  then  no  Government  provision  for 
this  purpose,  nor  for  many  years  after.''" 

This  system  for  the  voluntary  assistance  of  the  poor  was  continued  during 
some  years  until  i  August,  1771,  when  the  foundation-stone  of  the  present 
building  was  laid  by  Stewart  Banks,  Sovereign  of  Belfast,  with  an  inscription 
on  it,  stating,  among  other  things,  that  "Arthur,  Earl  of  Donegall,  granted  to 
it  eight  acres  of  land  in  perpetuity,  on  a  part  of  which  this  building  is  erected." 
The  building  was  not  completed  until  December,  1774,  when  the  proper 
number  of  inmates  was  admitted,  and  the  Bill  of  Incorporation  was  then 
passed.  It  has  thus  continued  ever  since  a  really  useful  institution.  Of 
course,  since  the  establishment  of  the  Poor  law  Unions,  this  charitable  society 
does  not  assist  casual  poor,   but  the  house  is  fully  occupied  as  a  retreat  for 

(1)  Now  Donegall  Street. 

(2)  Job  Rider  wa<i  a  celebrated  maker  of  clocks  at  this  time.  In  1791  he  opened  a  shop  at  the  sign  of  the 
Reflecting  Telescope  in  The  .Shambles,  now  Corn  Market,  and  advertized  himself  as  coming  from  London, 
Dublin,  and  Hillsborough.  In  1801  he  removed  to  27,  High  Street.  There  is  a  laige  cluck  at  Ardi  ie  bearing  1  is 
name  and  the  date,  1806,  having  been  removed  there  from  the  meeting-house  at  Carnnioney,  10  which  place  it 
had  been  bequeathed   by  James  Bigger. 

(3)  There  is  an  excellent  account  of  this  charity  by  E.  W.  Pim,  entitled  Sketch  ot  the  Rise  and  Proorcss 
of  the  IVater  Supply  to  Belfast,  jSgj. 


yS         PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY. 

inhabitants    who,    by    misfortune,    have    been    reduced    to    poverty.       Large 
additions  have  lately  been  made  to  the  buildings. 

There  was  a  road  from  thence  to  the  New  Burial-ground  at  the  back 
of  the  Poor-house  (as  both  were  then  familiarly  called),  continued  by  a 
narrow  pathway  to  join  the  New  Lodge  Road,  and  on  which  was  Dr.  Bruce's 
farm.  There  was  no  Clifton  Street,  nor  road  that  way  to  Crumlin  nor  Antrim. 
We,  therefore,  turn  to  the  right  along  New  Barrack  Street  (now  North  Queen 
Street)  on  the  way  to  Carrickfergus.  A  short  distance  up  this  street  were 
the  new  barracks,  built  in  1797,  and  further  on  the  Artillery  Barracks,  then 
just  erected.  Beyond  this  was  Pinkerton's  Row,  where  stood  one  of  the 
largest  cotton  mills  of  the  time,  owned  and  worked  by  three  brothers — 
Charles,  Robert,  and  Francis  Lepper.  They  were  very  vain  of  this  mill : 
and  so  they  might,  as  it  was  for  many  years  profitable.  A  story  was  told  of 
them,  that,  some  years  after,  when  the  brothers  MulhoUand  built  their  mill  at 
York  Street,  which  was  somewhat  larger  than  this  one  of  Lepper's,  Charles 
Lepper,  the  managing  spinner,  who  was  nicknamed  "  Big  Mill,"  on  being 
told  that  he  would  be  "Big  Mill"  no  longer,  said  that  he  should  be  so 
still,  went  home,  and  immediately  commenced  to  double  the  size  of  their 
mill.     This  may  be  true  or  not,  but  it  is  certain  that  the  works  were  doubled. 


Garden  Hill,  North  Queen  Street, 
The  Residence  ok  the  Thomi'Son  Family  (now  removed). 

Fi-ciin  a  Photo,  by  IT.  Sioanslon. 

Pinkerton's  Row  led  to  New  Lodge  Road,  on  which  were  several  country 
houses  of  merchants,  and  on  to  Old  Park  House,  the  residence  of  John 
Lyons;  then  to  Solitude,  that  of  the  Pinkerton  family,  and  thence  to  the 
Cave  Hill.  Returning  to  the  Shore  Road,  Garden  Hill,  the  residence  of 
Isaac  Thompson,  storekeeper  of  the  Customs,  and  father  of  William  Thompson, 
secretary  to  the  Harbour  Board,  stood  on  an  elevation  which  looked  over  what 
was  called  the  Point  Fields,  an  extensive  range  of  fields  down  to  the  shore 
of  the  lough  without  any  building,  road,  or  street.  On  the  opposite  side  of 
the  road  was  the  residence  of  John  Bell,  a  (Quaker  and  a  cotton  spinner, 
whose  mill  was  in  John  Street,  and  uncle  of  the  present  family  of  Bell  of 
Whitehouse  ;    that  is,   of  the  late  Richard  and  Jacob    Bell.      A   short   way 


PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BECUNNINO    OF    THE    CENTURY. 


79 


further,  on  the  same  side  of  the  road,  was  the  entrance  to  Mount  Collyer,  the 
residence  of  Dr.  Drummond,  minister  of  the  Second  Unitarian  meeting-house 
in  Rosemary  Street,  who  kept  a  large  boarding-school  for  boys  there. 


Mount  Coli.yer, 
The  Residence  of  Dr.   Drummond  (now  removed). 

Irom  a    I'luHo.   by   IT.   Sw,i:,sto,:. 

Next  came  Jennymount,  the  residence  of  John  Thomson,  who  was  one  of 
the  originators  of  the  Commercial  Bank  about  this  time — the  partners  consisting 
of  William  Tennant,  Robert  Calwell,  Robert  Bradshaw,  John  Cunningham, 
and   John    Thomson.      This   bank   was  some  years   afterwards   incorporated 


Castleton,  the  Residence  of  the  Thomson  Family  (now  removed). 

Frotu  a  Photo,  by  W.   S7o,t}islon. 

with  the  Belfast  Bank  as  a  joint-stock  company,  and  is  now  known  as  the 
Belfast  Banking  Company,  and  John  Thomson,  second  son  of  the  above, 
became  one  of  its  first  managing  directors.     The  old   house  has  long  since 


ao    PERSONAL  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  CENTURY. 

been  pulled  down,  and  the  present  large  structure  '^'  took  its  place,  under  the 
name  of  Castleton. 

At  Lilliput '-'  the  road  descended  to  the  shore  of  the  lough,  and  proceeded 
along  its  banks  a  distance  of  three  miles  without  a  house,  the  sea  washing  the 
road  on  the  right  all  the  way.  The  Grove '^' adjoined  Jennymount,  and  then 
the  residence  of  William  Simms,  whose  only  daughter,  having  married  James 
Cunningham,  was  the  mother  of  Anne  Cunningham,  late  of  Macedon,  and  of  her 
sister,  Mrs.  James  Thompson,  of  that  place.     On  the  death  of  William  Simms 


and  his  son  Robert,  his  grandson,  AVilliam  Simms,  sold  The  Grove  to  John 
Sinclair,  who  pulled  down  the  old  house,  and  built  the  present  house  on  the 
same  site.  On  the  death  of  John  Sinclair,  it  was  sold  to  Francis  Ritchie. 
Bounding  The  Grove  on  the  north.  Buttermilk  Lane  runs  between  it  and  Skeig 
O'Neill,  being  one  of  the  roads  to  the  old  deer  park  of  Lord  Donegal!,  at 
foot  of  the  Cave  Hill,  to  which  favourite  hill  it  was  the  nearest  road  from 
the  town,  and  much  more  resorted  to  then  than  now,  as  it  was  quite  open  and 
free,  and  almost  the  only  recreation  ground  of  the  people. '■*'  Skeig  O'Neill 
was  the  residence  of  the  Wolsey  family ;  and  on  their  departure  to  live  in 
Dublin,  the  late  James  Steen,  provision  merchant,  became  the  owner,  and 
died  there.  The  house  was  built  by  William  Magee,  son  of  James  ALagee,  the 
printer  in  Belfast.     It  is  now  removed. 

(  To  be  continued.  ) 

\_Several  inaccuracies  and  omissions  iniisl  of  necessity  appear  in  this  fapcr,  tv/iere  so 
many  names  and  places  are  recorded.  The  editor  ivi/l  Jeel  obliged  if  subscribe  is  will  remedy 
theiC  defects,  so  that  a  final  note  will  embody  theiit.\ 


(1)   Now  pulled  down,   a 

(i)    I'his  was  ilic  rcsidtiK 

by    David   Mansun,  the  cclel^i 

(3)  lni3o7j.uHcsC-a>.,„ 
cluii-a.yard.  His  iiephov,  W 
died  24  Oct.,  187;  ;i  len^thei 

(4)  Several  of  the  c-reat 


id   the  gioi 
;  of  .Miss  1 


made 


e  of  the  Jennymount  family,  ai 

I'hc  Grove,  and  is  described  of 
istoun,    was   married   lo   iMartli: 


ubsequently 
place  in   Ct 


^^ 

-^ 

>"fes----' 

^ 

■^ 

5^^^? 

k-. 

■■^^ 

—^       ! 

fl% 

•■ 

Ns 

9 

K'WfJk^ 

i^^C 

Ib'^ 

l^ 

li 

1    1       S'"^.:--^ 

x>» 

^^B^^^i 

iPiii^^^ 

^«!B^ 

"■^-J^ 

H 

ilbc  little  (Tit^  of  Briobt,  (rount\>  2)own, 


;v.  TAMKS  O'LAVERTY 


iM.K.I.A.,    liOLYWOOI 


HE  Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick,  which  was  written  before 
A.I).  looo,  from  documents  which  have  long  since  perished, 
A\'*v'  V^^M^  relates  that  St.  Patrick,  after  his  unsuccessful  missionary  tour 
i^4^  ^^^  "^^  convert  Miliuc,  his  former  master,  returned  to  Saul  There 
C^Q^'S^I^^^  having  remained  a  short  time  with  Dichu,  son  of  Trichem, 
the  chieftain  of  Saul,  he  set  out  on  another  missionary  tour  to  convert  Dichu's 
brother,  Ross,  or  Rus,  who  dwelt  at  Bright,  about  five  miles  from  Saul.  The 
Tripartite  Life  relates  the  event  in  these  words  :  "Then  Patrick  went  from 
Saball  [Saul]  southwards  that  he  might  preach  to  Ross,  son  of  Trichem.  He 
it  is  that  dwelt  in  Den'us,  to  the  south  of  Dun  Lethglaisi  [Downpatrick]. — 
A  small  city  [cathair  becc\  is  there  to-day— namely  Mrechtan  '"  [Bright]— where 
is  bishop  Loarnn,  who  dared  to  blame  Patrick  for  holding  the  hand  of  the  boy 
who  was  playing  near  his  church."  The  same  narrative  is  given  in  almost  the 
same  words  in  an  ancient  homily  preserved  in  the  Ltabliar  Lh-eac,  but  in  it 
the  name  of  the  place  is  more  correctly  written  Breclitain.  The  words  are: 
"  Patrick  went  afterward  to  Sj-ccte  from]  Saball  southward  to  preach  to  Rus, 
son  of  Trichem.  It  was  he  that  dwelt  at  Derlus  to  the  south  of  Dun 
Lethglaisi.  There  is  a  small  city  [cathair  becc\  there  to-day  and  Brcchtain 
is  its  name  ;  there  is  bishop  Loarnd."  The  little  city  is  described  in  both 
documents  as  Derius.  This  word  Dr.  O'Donovan,  in  his  Notes  to  the  Annals 
of  the  Four  Masters  and  in  his  Supplement  to  O'Keillys  Irish  Dictionary, 
explains  as  "a  strong  fort,"  and  adds  that  it  has  assumed  in  modern  times  the 
form  Thurles.  The  learned  Franciscan  Colgan,  in  his  L.ivcs  of  St.  L'atrick, 
translates  cathair  becc  into  the  Latin  form  cavitatula. 

There  cannot  be  the  least  doubt  that  Brcchtain  is  the  modern  Bright ;  for 
variations  of  the  ancient  name  have  been  preserved  in  comparatively  modern 
documents.  John  de  Courcy,  about  1178,  confirmed  the  church  of  Bricht 
to   the   See  of   Down.     Shortly   afterwards    Malachy   HP,    P>ishop   of  Down, 


(1)  This  is  a  mis 

ake  {.,x  B-.ccUtai 

1.  wliich  is  the  «e 

of  a  copyist,  uhr,  me 

tlic  «..nl  in  som 

■  sentence  where 

of  Irish  grammar. 

riiu-,  ni  the  sente 

nee,  "  I  was  in  \i 

are  pronounced   n,.t 

e  Ii,cJi:.u>,,  hut 

cw  Mr,c/uaht,  the 

/  precedes  it. 

82  THK    LITTLE    CITY    OF    BRIGHT,    COUNTY    DOWN. 

annexed  it  under  the  name  o^  Brichten  to  the  abbey  of  Down;  and  James  I., 
by  charter,  united  the  rectory  of  Bright,  alias  Bratfen,  to  his  newly-created 
Deanery  of  Down. 

The  churchyard  of  Bright  is  al^out  five  or  six  perches  south  of  the  pubhc 
road,  and  is  approached  by  an  avenue  leading  from  that  road.  On  the  west 
side  of  the  avenue  was  formerly  a  mound,  or  high  bank  of  earth,  probably 
artificial,  which  my  father,  in  whose  farm  the  land  around  the  churchyard 
was,  removed  about  sixty  years  ago  ;  he  also  opened  an  ancient  trench  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  avenue.  During  the  summer  of  this  year,  my  brother 
carted  off  for  agricultural  purposes  the  contents  of  some  perches  of  that  trench. 
It  was  found  to  be  some  five  feet  deep  and  twelve  feet  broad,  and  its  contents 
consisted  of  a  rich  earth  mixed  with  charred  wood,  sea  shells,  and  the  bones 
of  horses  and  horned  cattle.  I  visited  the  place;  but  as  every  person  was 
engaged  then  at  the  harvest,  I  could  obtain  the  assistance  only  of  an  old  man, 
who,  by  a  crow-bar,  ascertained  for  me  the  extent  of  the  trench.  It  extended 
from  the  avenue  in  an  easterly  direction  through  my  brother's  field,  and 
continued  in  a  straight  line  until  it  met  the  northern  end  of  a  rocky  cliff 
in  the  adjoining  field  in  Miss  Murphy's  farm.  On  the  southern  extremity  of 
that  cliff  is  a  piece  of  level  ground  about  two  hundred  feet  in  breadth,  across 
which  we  ascertained  there  extends  a  filled- up  trench  of  the  same  depth  as 
the  other  trench.  This  trench  connected  that  rocky  cliff  with  a  high  and 
rapidly-sloping  cliff,  which  bounds  my  brother's  field  on  part  of  the  east  side, 
on  the  whole  of  the  south,  and  part  of  the  west  side  as  far  as  the  wall  of  the 
churchyard.  The  cliff  continues  round  the  west  side  of  the  churchyard  until 
it  reaches  the  site  of  the  earthen  mound,  which  was  on  the  west  side  of  the 
avenue  until  removed  by  my  father  about  sixty  years  ago.  Here,  then,  was  a 
naturally  strong  place,  surrounded  for  the  most  part  by  rapidly-sloping  high 
cliffs,  and  where  these  ceased  the  level  ground  was  fortified  by  trenches. 
The  enclosed  space,  now  occupied  by  the  church  graveyard  and  fields, 
contained  about  four  Irish  acres.  This,  doubtlessly,  was  "the  small  city  of 
Brectaim,"  or  Bright;  and  when  the  tops  of  the  cliffs  and  inner  sides  of  those 
trenches  were  strengthened  by  a  high  palisaded  earthen  wall,  the  cathair  becc 
of  Rus,  son  of  Trichem,  might  justly  be  described  as  a  Derlus^  or  strong 
city.  All  traces  of  the  houses  have  disappeared;  but  "Fairy-Millstones," 
the  little  circular  stone  discs  that  weighted  the  ends  of  the  spindles,  are 
frequently  found  on  the  site,  testifying  that  linen  was  the  staple  manufacture 
of  "  the  httle  city." 

Among  the  Irishmen  of  his  day  few  were  more  distinguished  than  Ross, 
son  of  Trichem,  one  of  the  poet-judges  of  Ireland.  St.  Patrick  had  such 
influence  with  the  Irish  that  he  induced  them  to  remodel  their  ancient  laws 
in  conformity  with  the  doctrines  of  Christianity;  and  in  the  year  438  a 
commission  of  nine  persons — three  kings,  three  bishops,  and  three  poets — 


THK    LITTLE    CLIV    OF    BRIGHT,    COUNTY    DoWN.  63 

arranged  the  Senchus  Mor,  a  code  so  revered  that  the  IJrehons  were  not 
authorized  to  abrogate  anything  contained  in  it  ;  and  it  maintained  its 
authority  among  the  native  Irish  until  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  or  for  ahiiost  twelve  hundred  years.  One-  of  the  poet-judges  was 
Ros,  son  of  Trichem,  who,  in  an  ancient  commentary  on  the  Senchus  Mor, 
is  described  as  J^os,  sa/  Bcrla  Feiiii  ("Ros,  a  tioclor  of  the  Berla  Feini ''), 
which  was  the  dialect  in  which  the  ancient  laws  were  written. 

The  Glossary  of  Cormac  (who  died  \.\).  903),  treating  of  the  word  ^'oifis 
("the  knowledge  of  nine"),  another  name  for  the  great  code  the  Senchus  Mor, 
gives  the  following  quatrain,  which  enumerates  the  three  kings,  the  ihree 
bishops,   and  the  three  poets,   its  legislators  : 

Laegaiii,  Core,  Dairi  dur,  Laeghaire,  Core,  Dairi  the  hardy, 

Patraic,  Breneoin,  Cearnach  coir,  Patrick,  Bcnen,  Cairnech  the  just, 

Ross,<i'  Dubthac,  Fergus  eofheib.  Ross,  Dubhthac,  Ferghus,  with  science. 

IX.  Sailge  sin  Senchais  Moir.  These  were  the  nine  pillars  of  the  .Senchus  Mor. 

It  is  said  that  Ros,  son  of  Trichem,  having  become  a  cleric,  was  appointed 
Bishop  of  Down. 

(1)  Ross,  son  of  Trichem,  seems  to  have  been  a  Prehon  ;  and  as  the  office  was  at  that  period  hereditary, 
his  brother  Dichu  may  have  occupied  the  same  position  in  Saul,  which  would  explain  wliy  .St.  Patrick  and 
his  companions  were,  as  strangers  found  in  the  country,  brought  before  liim  as  the  nearest  magistrate. 


Zbc  IRov^al  1Rc6i^euce  of  IRatbniorc  of  flDo^^liime. 

lJ7//i  Notes  on  otlier  Early  Earthworks  in    Ulster. 

By   Captain    R.    G.    EKRRV. 

( Continued f)-om  page  ig,  vol.   v.) 

IR  SAMUEL  FERGUSON  thus  mentions  the  importance 
of  this  battle  : 

"  It  was  here  [Uladh]  the  influence  of  the  bards  longest  survived 
after  their  dissolution  at  Dromceat,  and  here  the  final  struggle  between 
the  old  and  new  systems  was  determined,  on  the  field  of  Moyra, 
.  .  .  the  scene  of  the  greatest  battle,  whether  we  regard  the  numbers 
engaged,  the  duration  of  the  combat,  or  the  stake  at  issue,  ever  fought  within  the  bounds  of 
Ireland.  P"or  beyond  question,  if  Congal  Claen  and  his  (lentile  allies  had  been  victorious 
in  that  battle,  the  re-establishment  of  old  bardic  paganism  would  have  ensued." 

In  the  fight,  Congal  Claen  received  his  death  wound  and  Sweeny 
became  mad. 

The  cause  of  his  madness  is  an  offence  against  an  ecclesiastic.  Saint 
Ronan  is  engaged  in  constructing  a  church,  without  permission,  in  Sweeny's 
territory.  Sweeny  rudely  interrupts  the  work,  and  casts  his  javelin  at  the  bell 
in  the  hands  of  the  saint.  The  shaft  of  the  javelin  springs  high  in  the  air, 
rebounding  from  the  bell,  which  is  unharmed.  Then  the  holy  cleric  prayed — 
"As  high  as  the  shaft  of  thy  javelin,  mayest  thou  thyself  be  raised  in  air."'^' 

To  the  battle  went — 

"  The  standard  of  Suibhne,  a  yellow  banner. 
The  renowned  king  of  Dal  Araidhe, 
Yellow  satin,  over  that  mild  man  of  hosts, 
The  white  fingered  stripling  himself  in  the  middle  of  them. 


"  With  respect  to  Suibhne,  the  son  of  Colman  Guar,  son  of  Gobhlhach,  King  of  Dal 
Araidhe,  we  shall  treat  of  him  for  another  while.  Fits  of  giddiness  came  over  him  at  the 
sight  of  the  horrors,  grimness,  and  rapidity  of  the  Gaels  ;  at  the  looks,  brilliance,  and  irk- 
someness  of  the  foreigners  ;  at  the  rebounding  furious  shouts  and  bellowings  of  the  various 
embattled  tribes  on  both  sides,  rushing  against  and  coming  into  collision  with  one  another. 
Huge,  flickering,  horrible  aerial  phantoms  rose  up,  so  that  they  were  in  cursed,  commingled 
crowds  tormenting  him  ;  and  in  dense,  rustling,  clamorous,  left-turning  hordes,  without 
ceasing  ;  and  in  dismal,  regular,  aerial,  storm-shrieking,  hovering,  fiend-like  hosts  constantly 
in  motion,  shrieking  and  howling  as  they  hovered  about  them  [i.e.,  about  botli  armies]  in 
every  direction  to  cow  and  dismay  cowards  and  soft  youths,  but  to  invigorate  and  mightily 
rouse  champions  and  warriors  ;  so  that  from  the  uproar  of  the  battle,  the  frantic  pranks  of 

(1)  Congal. 


THE    ROYAL    RESIDENCE    OF    RATHMORE    OF    MOY-LINNE.  85 

the  demons,  and  the  clashing  of  arms,  the  sound  of  the  heavy  hlows  re%-eibeiating  on  the 
points  of  heroic  spears  and  keen  edges  of  swords,  and  the  warhke  borders  of  liroad  shields, 
the  noble  hero  Suibhne  was  fdled  and  intuxicaled  with  tremor,  horror,  panic,  dismay,  fickle- 
ness, unsteadiness,  fear,  fiightiness,  giddiness,  terror,  and  imbecility  ;  so  that  there  was  not  a 
joint  of  a  member  of  him  from  foot  to  heail  which  was  not  converted  into  a  confused,  shaking 
mass,  from  the  effect  of  fear,  and  the  panic  of  dismay.  Ilis  feet  tremlded,  as  if  incessantly 
shaken  by  the  force  of  a  stream  ;  his  arms  and  various  edged  weajjons  fell  from  him,  the 
power  of  his  hands  having  been  enfeebled  and  relaxed  around  iheni,  and  rendered   incajiable 

of  holding  them When  he  was  seized  with  this  frantic  fit,   he  made  a 

supple,  very  light  leap,  and  where  he  alighted  was  on  the  fine  boss  of  the  shield  of  the  hero 
next  him  ;  and  he  made  a  second  leap  and  perched  on  the  vertex  of  the  crest  of  the  helmet 
of  the  same  hero,  who,  however,  did  not  feel  him,"'  though  the  chair  on  which  he  rested  was 
an  uneasy  one.  Wherefore  he  came  to  an  imbecile,  irrational  determination,  namely,  to 
turn  his  back  on  mankind,  and  to  herd  with  deer,  run  along  with  the  showers,  and  flee  with 

the  birds,   and  to  feast  in   wildernesses And   he  continued   in   this  terrible 

confusion  until  a  hard,  quick  sh(jwer  of  hailstones, — an  omen  of  slaughter  to  the  men  of 
Erin, — began  to  fall,  and  with  this  shower  he  passed  away  like  every  bird  of  prey  ;  as  Suibhne 
said  in  another  place  : 

'  This  was  my  first  run, — 

Rapid  was  the  flight, — 

The  shot  of  the  javelin  expired 

For  me  with  the  shower.'  "  *-' 

"  As  she  knelt,  light-wafted  o'er  the  green, 
In  shadow  of  a  passing  cloud,  was  flying  Sweeny  seen. 
Whom  when,  at  first,  Lapinda  knew,  her  cheek,  so  pale  but  now. 
And  all  the  veil  allowed  to  view  of  neck  and  marble  brow, 
Grew  red  with  shame.     But  Congal  said, 

'  Although  the  assembled  host 
Have  seen  him  fly,  yet  scorn  him  not,  nor  deem  thy  brother  lost. 
More  than  his  Chief,  wh(j  also  fled.' 

'  Sister,'  said  Sweeny  ;  and  he  came,  with  liglit  foot,  gliding  nigh  ; 

'  I  come  not  hither  as  he  comes,  in  sight  of  home  to  die. 
My  day,  indeed,  is  distant  yet :  and  many  a  wandering  race 
Must  I  with  wind  and  shower  maintain  ;  and  many  a  rainbow  chase 
Across  the  wet-bright  meads,  ere  I,  like  him,  obtain  release 
From  furious  Fancy's  urgent  strings,  and  lay  my  limbs  in  peace. 
Lo,  all  is  changed.      In  Brigid's  cell  thou,  now,  a  close-shut  nun, 
That  were  the  assemblies'  pride  before.      I,  with  the  clouds  and  sun. 
And  bellowing  creatures  of  the  glade,  for  comrades  of  my  way, 
Roam  homeless  ;   I,  that  was  a  king  of  thousands  yesterday.' 

Even  as  he  spoke,  sofl-rustling  sounds  to  all  their  ears  were  borne. 
Such  as  warm  winds  at  eve  excite  'mongst  brown-ripe  rolling  corn. 
All,  but  Lapinda,  looked  :   but  she,  behind  a  steadfast  lid, 
Kept  her  calm  eyes  from  that  she  deemed  a  sight  unlioly,  hid. 
And  Congal  reck'd  not  of  the  shape  that  passetl  before  his  eyes 
Lived  only  on  the  inward  film,  or  outward  "nealh  tht 


Lies. 


It  passed.      Light  Sweeny,  as  it  passed,  went  also  frc 


the 


(1)  It   was  the  ancient  belief  in  Ireland,   and   is  still   in  some   of  the  wilder  mountainous  districts,   that 
atics  are  as  light  as  feathers,  and  can  climb  steeps  and  precipices  like  the  somnambulists. 

(2)  Battle  oj  Magh-Rath.     Translated  by  John  O'Donovan. 

(3)  Congal.     By  Sir  Samuel  Ferguson. 


86  THE    ROVAI.    RESIDENCE    OF    RATHIMORE    OF    MOY-LINNE. 

And  up  and  down  the  land  he  roams,  and  in  his  simple-hearted  way  addresses  the  trees,  the 
birds,  and  wild  creatures  of  the  forest. 

'  Horned  one  that  bellowest  down  thro'  the  dale, 
Sweet  to  me  your  ranting  roar  borne  upon  the  gale  ; 
Home-sweet  the  melody  where'er  my  path  may  lie, 
Below  in  meadows  wandering,  or  up  in  mountains  high.' 
On  he  passes,  addressing  the  wood  and  its  individual  trees  ;  finally  he  wails — 
'  But  full  of  creatures  beautiful,  green,  leafy,  though  ye  be, 
I  wander  'mongst  you,  oh  ye  woods,  in  endless  misery  ! '  "  i" 

A.l).  665 — Maolcaoich,  son  of  Scandal,  chief  of  the  Cruithne  of  the  race 
of  Ir,  died.      He  was  brother  to  Congal  Claen. 

A.L).  680 — Cathasagh,  son  of  Maoldun,  chief  of  the  Cruithne,  slain  by 
the  Britons  at  the  Ijattle  of  Rathmore  of  Moylinny. 

Cathasach,  above-mentioned,  King  of  Dalaradia  and  Ulltan,  son  of 
Dicholla,  a  prince  of  the  Picts  of  Dalaradia,  leaguered  with  the  North  Britons 
and  Saxons,  or,  as  Bede  puts  it,  with  "  Eegfrid  rex  Nordanhymbrorutn,"  and 
a  great  army  under  Bertus,  an  experienced  commander,  was  sent  out  of 
Britain  to  invade  Ireland.  The  English  and  Dalaradian  armies  united  at 
Rathmore,  and  started  to  pillage  the  surrounding  countries,  reducing  the 
inhabitants  to  great  extremities.  They  were  eventually  met  and  driven  back, 
and  the  chiefs  of  the  northern  Hy-Nials  defeated  the  united  armies  at  the 
great  battle  of  Rath-Mor  Magh  Line,  and  both  Cathasach  and  Ulltan  were 
amongst  the  slain.  This  invasion  seems  to  have  been  a  breach  of  faith  on 
the  part  of  the  English  king  ;  as  Bede,  speaking  of  it,  says  :  "  Bertus  miseiably 
ravaged  that  innocent  nation,  which  was  a  most  friendly  ally  to  the  English."'-' 

AT).  690 — The  Dalaradians  spoiled  the  Cruithne  and  Ultonians  (Annals 
of  Ulster). 

A.D.  696 — Aodh  Aired,  chief  of  Dalaradia,  slain  at  Tulach-Garaisg  in 
Farney. 

A.D.  700 — Fianan,  son  of  O  Dunchadha,  King  of  Dalaradia,  was  strangled 
(  Tigernach). 

A.D.  706 — Cucuarain,  King  of  Cruithne  and  Uladh,  was  slain  by  Fionnchu 
O  Renain. 

In  Dr.  Reeves's  list  of  the  kings  of  Ulster,''"  the  following  account  of  this 
king  is  given  :  "  Cucuaran,  son  of  Dungaill,  brother  of  Congall  Claen,  reigned 
five  years,  and  was  slain  by  Sgannlann  Finn  O  Rabhan  of  Dalriada." 

A.D.  725  —  Battle  of  Murbholg,  between  the  Cruithne  and  Dalriadians. 
Keating  says  the  Picts  were  defeated  with  great  slaughter,  and  driven  out  of 
the  field. 

A.D.  771— Battle  between  the  Dalaraidhe  at  Sliabh  Mis  (Sleamish), 
wherein  was  slain  Nia,  son  of  Cucongatta. 

(1)  Congal.     By  Sir  Samuel  Ferguson. 

(2)  Keating's  Genera!  History  of  Ireland,  and  Reeves's  EccUsiaslical  Antiqui/les. 

(3)  Ecclesiastical  .Antiquities. 


THE    ROYAL    RESIDENCE    OF    RATHMORE    OF    MOY-LINNE.  87 

A.D.  778— Battle  of  Dumha  Achidh,  between  the  Dalaraidhe,  in  which 
Focarta  O  Conalta  was  slain. 

A.D.  787 — Bresal,  son  of  Flathrai,  Lord  of  Dalaraidhe,  died. 

Tomoltach,  son  of  Innreachtach,  King  of  Uladh,  after  a  reign  of  two 
years,  was  slain  by  Eochaidh,  son  of  Fiachna.  The  Annals  of  Ulster  at  789, 
and  the  Annuls  of  Inisfallen  at  776,  represent  Tomoltach,  son  of  Innreachtach, 
as  King  of  Dalaraidhe.'^' 

"  Eochaidh,  son  of  Fiachna,  had  twelve  sons  by  his  principal  wives,  and 
twelve  sons  by  his  concubines."  One  of  these  was  Dunchadh,  son  of  Eochaidh, 
from  whom  are  the  Clan  Dermod  mac  Dunchadh  mic  I^^ochaidh  mic  Fiachna. 

The  name  Clandermod  (the  clan  of  Dermod)  was  primarily  used  in  a  civil 
sense,  and  was  applied,  at  the  commencement  of  the  seventeenth  century,  to 
a  small  district,  styled  a  cinament,  ccjnsisting  of  the  eight  townlands  which 
form  the  north-east  portion  of  the  barony  of  Upper  Masserine. 

A.D.  822 — Eochaidh,  son  of  Breasal,  Lord  of  Dalaraidhe-an-tuaisceirt 
(North  Dalaraidhe),   was  slain   l;)y  his  own  people. 

A.D.  823— Maolbresail,  son  of  Ailill  Cobha,  Lord  of  Dalaraidhe,  died. 
He  was   King  of  Ulster  for  six  years. 

A.D.  827 — A  victory  obtained  over  the  Danes  by  Lethlobar,  son  of  Long- 
segh.  King  of  Dalaraidhe.  In  855  Lethlobar  was  advanced  to  the  kingdom 
of  Uladh,  over  which  he  reigned  sixteen  years,  and  died  at  a  good  old 
age  A.D.  871. 

A.D.  831 — Cionaidh,  son  of  Ethach,  Lord  of  Dalaraidhe-an-tuaisceirt 
(North  Dalaraidhe),  was  slain  by  the  Kinel-Owen.  The  Annals  of  Ulster 
dates  this  incident  848,  and  Annals  of  Inisfallen  835. 

In  831  Connor  was  devastated  by  the  Danes  of  Lough  Neagh. 

A.D.  892 — Muredhach,  son  of  Maoletigh,  Lord  of  Dalaraidhe,  slain  in 
battle  of  Rath-ero. 

.'\.D.  896  —  Muredhach,  son  of  Muretegh,  King  of  Dalaraidhe,  slain  in 
battle  (Annals  of  Ulster). 

A.D.  899  —  Muretegh,  son  of  Lethlobhar,  King  of  Dalaraidhe,  died 
(Annals  of  Ulster). 

A.D.  904 — Bee  Ua  Lethlobhar,  Lord  of  Dalaraidhe,  died.  He  was  called 
"the  renowned  chief  of  Tuaigh-Inver  "  (/>.,  the  mouth  of  the  Bann),  for  what 
reason  I  cannot  ascertain. 

A.D.  912  —  Loingsegh  Ua  Lethlobhar,  Lord  of  Dalaraidhe,  defeated  at  the 
Fregabhail  by  Niall,  son  of  Aodh  Finnliath,  King  of  Ailech.  His  brother 
Flathrai  Ua  Lethlobhar  fell  in  this  battle.  Another  battle  was  fought  between 
the  same  parties  at  Carn-Eirinn,'"'  where  Loingsegh  was  defeated.  He  was 
king  over  Uladh  for  seven  years,  and  died  931. 

(1)  He  reigned  over  Ulster  for  ten  years,  and  was  slain  by  his  brother  Cairioll  A.i).  807. 

(2)  The  hill  of  Carnearny,  in  the  parish  of  Connor,  is  called  Carneirin  in  the  Inquisition  of  1605 
(Ecclesiastical  A  ntiquitiesl. 


88  THE    ROYAL    RESIDENCE    OF    RATHMORE    OF    MOY-LINNE. 

A.D.  941 — Ceallach,  son  of  Bee,  Lord  of  Dalaraidhe,  was  slain  in  Oentribh 
(Antrim). 

A.I).  960 — An  army  was  led  by  Flaithbhertach  O  Conchobhair,  King  of 
Ailech,  into  Dalaradia,  which  plundered  the  city  of  Connor,  until  the  Ulidians 
assailed  him  and  slew  him,  with  his  two  brothers,  Teigne  and  Con,  and  many 
others  with  them.  After  this,  Connor  appears  to  have  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  the  Northmen;  for  in  968  or  970  "an  army  was  led  by  Artgal,  son  of 
Madudan,  King  of  Ulidia,  against  the  Danes,  so  that  he  laid  waste  Connor 
upon  them,  and  very  many  were  left  slain  with  him."  But  in  the  list  of 
Kings  of  Uladh  he  lives  longer;  for  there  we  have  "  Ardgal,  son  of  Madagan, 
reigned  seven  years,  and  was  killed  by  Donall  of  Cnodhbha  in  the  defeat  of 
Cill  Mona,  a.d.  976." 

A.D.  977 — Lethlobhar  Ua  Fiachna,  Lord  of  Dalaraidhe,  was  slain. 
A.D.  985  —  Flathri  Ua  Loingsigh,   Lord  of  Dalaraidhe,  was  slain    by  his 
own  people. 

In  the  year  1003  a  battle  was  fought  between  the  men  of  Ulidia  and 
Tyrone,  at  a  place  called  Craobh  Tulcha  (Crew  Hill),  in  which  the  Ulidians 
were  defeated  with  dreadful  slaughter.  Donnell  O'Lynch,  Lord  of  Dalaradia 
and  rig-damna  of  Uladh  ;  Eochaidh,  son  of  Ardgal,  who  had  reigned  over 
Uladh  for  thirty-five  years,  and  his  two  sons,  were  slain  in  this  battle  ;  and  on 
the  side  of  the  Kinel-Owen  fell  Aedh  O'Neill,  heir-apparent  to  the  sovereignty 
of  Ireland,  in  the  twentieth  year  of  his  age.'^' 

A.D.  1004 — Brian  (Boroimhe),  son  of  Cennetigh,  marched  with  an  army 
from  Armagh  to  Dalaradia,  and  received  hostages  of  Dalaraidhe  and  Dalpa- 
tach.  The  Annals  of  Iiiisfallen  tells  us  of  "an  assembly  of  the  Irish,  as  well 
Strangers  as  Natives,  from  the  limits  of  Slieve  Fuaid,  with  Brian,  son  of 
Kennedy,  to  Armagh,  and  Rath-mor  of  Moyline  in  Ultonia,  to  receive 
hostages  of  the  men  of  Tirconnell  and  Tyrone.  The  O'Neills  and  O'Donnells 
would  not  recognise  Brian  as  King  of  Ireland,  and  refused  their  hostages ; 
so  the  next  year,  1005,  Brian,  son  of  Cennetigh,  proceeded  with  an  army 
to  exact  hostages  as  far  as  Tirconnell  and  Tirone.  Thence  he  passed 
across  Fertais-Camsa '"•  into  Dalriada,  Dalaradia,  Ultonia,  and  Conallia 
Muirtheimhne." 

Dalaradia  and  Uladh  were  two  separate  kingdoms,  and  the  King  of  Dala- 
radia may,  or  may  not,  have  owned  the  King  of  Ulster  his  superior ; 
conseiiuently,  when  the  King  of  Ulster  happened  to  belong  to  a  different 
family  to  that  of  the  King  of  Dalaradia,  there  was  often  strife  as  to  which  of 
the  two  should  be  chief.      If  the  King  of  Dalaradia  won,  he  invariably  assumed 

(1)  Reeves's  Ecclesiastic  al  Antiqulfics  and  Watson's  Gleiiai'y. 

(2)  Feartas-Camsa.  the  Ci-n^sini;  of  Cainiis,  lay  on  the  Bann,  near  the  old  church  of  Canuis.  An 
ancient  historical  tale,  iiitiiled  I'liumphs  of  Coiioull  C/airinirnec/i,  speaks  of  it  as  near  "the  Cataract  of 
Craobh,"  now  the  Cutts  ;  and  L*un-da-Bheann,  "the  fort  of  the  two  peaks,"  now  the  mound  of  Mount 
Sandal. 


THE    ROYAL    RESIDENCE    OF    RATHMORE    OF    MOY-I,INNE.  89 

the  provincial  title.  Niall,  son  of  Eochaidh,  was  descended  from  Heremon. 
He  reigned  forty-seven  years,  and  aspired  to  be  ard-rig  of  Uladh.  Dornhnall, 
son  of  Loingsech,  Lord  of  Ualaraidhe,  was  descended  from  Ir,  and  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  proud  Clanna  Rury. 

In  those  days,  chiefs  paid  rent  to  the  chief  who  was  their  immediate 
superior,  and  in  return  received  a  present.  To  refuse  this  present  was  tanta- 
mount to  rebellion. 

Donnall  either  refused  this  present,  or,  in  answer  to  the  provincial  king's 
demand  for  rent,  replied  that  he  owed  him  none  ;  with  the  result  that,  in  a. d. 
1015,  a  battle  was  fought  between  the  Ulidians  and  I  )alaradians,  in  which  the 
latter  were  defeated,  and  Donnall  slain. 

A.D.  1046 — Conchobhar  Ua  Loingsigh,  Lord  of  Dalaraidhe,  slain  by  the 
son  of  Domhnall  Ua  Loingsigh,  in  Leinster. 

A.D.  1065 — Domhnall  Ua  Loingsigh,  Lord  of  Dalaraidhe,  slain  by  the 
people  of  O  Meith. 

A  D.  1070 — Hua  Eochaidhen,  King  of  Dalaraidhe,  slain  by  his  own 
people  (Annals  of  Ulster). 

A.D.  1095 — .\  battle  was  fought  at  Ardachadh,  between  the  Dalaraidhe 
and  Ulidians,  in  which  the  latter  were  defeated.  Here,  again,  we  have 
another  of  these  battles  between  the  provincial  king  and  one  of  his  sub-chiefs. 
At  this  time  Donnchadh,  son  of  Donnsleibhe  O  Hoey,  was  King  of  Uladh  ; 
but,  although  defeated  by  the  Dalaradians,  he  was  apparently  able  to  hold 
his  own  against  them,  as  he  was  not  taken  until  iioo,  when  he  was  blinded 
by  Donnchadh  Ua  Loingsigh.  Now,  Fionnchas  Ua  Loingsigh  was  King  of 
Dalaradia  when  this  battle  was  fought,  and  was  slain  by  Niall  O  Lochlain  in 
1113.  As  Donnchadh  Ua  Loingsigh  succeeded  him,  we  may  presume  he  was 
tannist  of  Dalaradia  when  he  blinded  the  King  of  Uladh. 

Donnchadh  succeeded  as  King  of  Uladh  and  Dalaraidhe,  but  he  did  not 
long  enjoy  his  sovereignty,  as  in  the  same  year  (i  i  13)  he  was  expelled  from 
the  government  by  Donnall  O  Loughhn,  and  the  authority  divided  between 
Aodh  Ua  Mathgamhna  and  Niall  Mac  Duinnalebhe.  Donnchadh  died  the 
following  year  (i  1 14). 

A.D.  1 130— Aodh  Ua  Loingsigh,  Lord  of  Dalaraidhe,  slain  in  battle. 
A.D,  1 141  — Domhnall  Ua  Loingsigh,   Lord  of  Dalaraidhe,   slain  by  the 

Cruithne. 

A.D.  1156— Ua  Loingsigh,  Lord  of  Dalaradia,  slain  by  the  Kinel-Owen. 
A.D.  1158-Cuuladh,  son  of  Deoradh  O  Flinn,  Lord  of  Hy-Tuirtre  and 

Dalaraidhe. 

Here  we  have  a  new  family  succeeding  to  the  chieftainship  of  Dalarad.a 
The  O  Fhnns  were  descended  from  CoUa  Uais,  of  the  race  of  Heremon,  and 
their  territory  origmally  lay  on  the  west  side  of  the  Bann  and  Lough  Neagh, 
and    comprehended    a    considerable    portion    of    the    modern    baromes    ot 


go 


THE    ROYAL    RESIDENCE    OF    RATHMORE    OF    MOY-LINNE. 


Dungannon  :  from  thence  they  were  pushed  north  to  LoughinshoUn.  At  an 
early  date  they  crossed  the  Bann,  and  settled  in  the  present  baronies  of 
Upper  and  Lower  Toome,  giving  this  tract  of  country  their  tribal  name 
of  Hy-Tuirtre. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  intermittent  war  had  been  going  on  for  more  than 
a  century  between  the  Kinel-Owen  and  the  Dalaradians — the  remnants  of  the 
old  Ruderician  stock.  About  this  time  the  Kinel-Owen  seem  to  have  nearly 
exterminated  the  race  of  Rury ;  and,  to  make  their  subjection  conclusive,  the 
Kinel-Owen  gave  the  chieftainship  of  Dalaradia  to  a  chief  of  their  own  tribe ; 
namely,  Cuuladh  O  Flinn.  So  complete  was  the  ruin  of  the  old  Ultonian 
stock,  that  they  seem  not  to  have  been  able  to  resent  the  insult;  and  Cuuladh, 
after  holding  the  chieftainship  of  Dalaraidhe  for  two  years,  died,  still  in 
possession  of  it,  in  1158.      He  probably  lived  amongst  his  own  people. 

As  Carraighe  O  Flinn,  Cuuladh's  successor,  did  not  hold  the  sovereignty 
of  Dalaradia,  we  may  presume  that  the  Dalaradians  had  mustered  sufficient 
force  to  keep  him  out,  and  probably  elected  a  chief  of  their  own;  for  in  1177 
John  de  Courcy  slew  Domhnall,  son  of  Cathusagh,  Lord  of  Dalaradia. 

The  Kinel-Owen  invaded  Dalaradia  again  in  1189,  but  were  defeated  by 
the  English  and  Irish  of  Dalaradia  ;  and  Murtogh  O  Loughlain  was  slain  in 
the  battle.  And,  the  same  year,  we  find  the  English  marching  against  Aodh 
O'Neill  at  Larne  ;  so,  in  the  first  battle,  they  probably  cut  off  the  retreat  of 
the  Kinel-Owen. 

In  Anglo-Norman  records  Henry  III.  is  found,  at  the  year  1244,  applying 
to  the  Princes  of  Ireland  for  aid  against  the  Scotch  ;  and,  amongst  others, 
O  Flinn  Rex  de  Tuerteri  is  mentioned.  Again,  in  1275,  M.  O  Flinn,  Rex 
Turteiriae,  and  five  other  chieftains,  addressed  a  letter  to  Edward,  exculpating 
themselves  from  the  blame  of  rebellion. 

In  1314,  when  Edward  II.  required  the  Irish  chiefs  to  infest  the  Scotch, 
and  aid  him  at  15annockburn,  he  named  "  Eth  Offlyn  Dux  Hibernicorum  de 
Turtery." 

After  Bruce  gained  the  battle  of  Bannockburn,  the  discontented  Irish 
chieftains,  headed  by  Donnell  O'Neill,  offered  the  ardrigship  of  Ireland  to 
Robert  Bruce. 

Edward  Bruce,  "  utterly  discontented  with  the  patrimonial  earldom  of 
Carrick,  and  finding  many  of  the  Scotch  chivalry,  who  were  flushed  with  their 
recent  victories  over  the  English  and  eager  to  win  rich  earldoms  in  a  new 
land,  asked,  and  easily  obtained,  the  consent  of  the  king  'to  gadre  hym  men 
of  gret  bounte,'  and  lead  them  into  Ireland."  '" 

Edward  Bruce  and  iiis  army  of  6,000  sailed  from  Ayr  in  300  ships  on  the 
25   May,    13 1 5,  and   landed  at   Larne,  where  he  was  attacked  by  an  armed 

(1)  Ulster  Journal  of  /i>'<-'f'<folog:}',  vol.  v.  (old  series). 


THE    ROYAL    RESIDENCE    OF    RATHMORE    OF    MOY-LINNE.  91 

muster  of  the  English  from  Carrickfergus.      Having  repulsed  this  attack,  in 
Barbour's  words — 

"  Thai  tuk  to  consaill  that  thai  wald 
Thair  wayis  toward  Coigneris  hald  ; 
And  herbery  in  the  cite  ta, 
And  than  in  gret  by  thai  haf-don  sua  ; 
And  raid  be  nycht  to  the  cite. 
Thai  fand  thair  of  wictat  gret  plente  ; 
And  maid  thairn  rycht  merycher  ; 
For  all  traist  in  the  town  thai  wer." 

On   the   approach   of  the   Scotch   army,    the    Bishop   of  Connor   fled   to 
Carrickfergus.     At  this  time  Connor  was  a  town  of  considerable  importance. 
From  Connor,  the  army  marched  southward  to  Rathmore,  and  burned  it. 
The  Annals  of  Connaui^^ht  gives  the  following  account  of  this  incident : 

"  Edward,  son  of  Robert  Bruce,  Earl  of  Carrick,  came  to  Ireland,  in  the  lands  of  Ulster, 
in  the  north,  a  fleet  of  300  ships  his  numbe*,  so  that  the  heroes  of  valour  and  fight  of  all 
Ireland,  in  general,  both  (lall  and  (lael,  shook  and  trembled.  And  he  soon  plundered  the 
best  part  of  Ulster:  and  he  burned  Rathmore  of  Moylimiy." 

Rathmore  was  never  re-occupied. 

Shortly  after  this  event,  the  name  Dalaradia  fell  into  disuse,  and  was 
replaced  by  Clannaboy. 

As  Yellow  Hugh's  star  rose  higher,  its  lustre  o'ertopped  the  fading  glory 
of  the  sun  of  the  children  of  Rury,  which  had  already  set.  When  at  its 
highest  point,  the  brilliant  brightness  of  the  glory  and  mystery  which  sur- 
rounded Clan  Rury  so  suffused  the  story  of  the  time  with  heroic  light,  that 
even  the  afterglow,  descending  to  our  day,  gives  us  cause  to  wonder. 


Note. — The  historical  sketch  is  chiefly  from  Reeves's  Ecclesiastical  Antiquities  of 
Down  and  Connor  and  Dromore.  Those  quotations,  the  authority  for  which  is  not  given 
above,  are  also  from  the  same  work. 


^be  inietcr  Doluntccre  of  '82:  tbcir  flDcbals, 
Ba^c3C6,  fflacjie,  Sic 

( Coritiniied  fi-oin  vol.  v.,  page  2J.) 

In  order  to  make  this  whole  subject  complete,  so  far  as  Ulster  is  concerned,  the  Editor  requests  that  all 
those  who  have  such  articles,  or  any  other  Volunteer  relics,  will  enumerate  and  describe  them,  or  entrust 
the  same  to  him  to  make  illustrations  Trom,  when  they  will  be  safely  returned. 


Ube  ifirst  XHlster  IReoiment  an&  Hugbnaclop  Battalion. 

By  ROBERT   DAY,  f.s.a.,  Cork. 


THE   FIRST   ULSTER  REGIMENT. 

HE    province  of    Ulster    gave   its 

name  to  six  Volunteer  regiments  ; 

namely,     The     Ulster     Volunteer 

True    Blue    Battalion,    The  'I'hird 

and      Fourth     Ulster      Regiments, 

The  Ulster  Regiments,  The  Ulster 

Regiment    of   Artillery,    and    The 

First   Ulster  Regiment,  which  had 

the  distinguished  honour  of  having 

as  its  Colonel-General  the   Earl  of 

Charlemont,    who    was    appointed 

commander-in-chief  of  the  Leinster 

army.     This  nobleman  and   the   Duke  of  Leinster  were  the  foremost  figures 

in  the  Volunteer  movement,  and  were  equally  beloved,  honoured,  and  trusted. 

To  quote  Barrington  : 

"  In  the  North  the  Earl's  influence  was  unlimited,  the  Irish  Volunteers  flocked  round 
him  as  a  fortress;  the  standard  of  liberty  was  supported  by  his  character;  the  unity  of  the 
Empire  was  protected  by  his  loyalty;  and,  as  if  Providence  had  attached  him  to  the  destinies 
of  Ireland,  he  arose,  he  flourished  and  he  sank  with  his  country." 

The  beautiful  medal  shown  on  following  page  bears  both  the  name  of  the 
corps  and  that  of  its  colonel,  and  as  a  specimen  of  artistic  engraving  is,  without 
exception,  the  finest  I  have  met  with.  It  is  oval,  of  silver,  hall-marked,  and 
measures  3  by  2  j^  inches.  Like  the  Cork  Boyne  medal,  it  is  made  of  two 
engraved  plates,  raised  in  the  centre,  and  meeting  at  the  edge,  which  is 
protected  by  a  strong  rim,  with  a  loop  for  sus[)ension. 


THE    ULSTER    VOLUNTEERS    OF    '82  :    THEIR    MEDALS,    RADGES,    ETC.  93 


Obv. — Below,  two  branches  of  shamrocks,  joined  at  the  stems;  above, 
upon  a  ribbon  of  three  folds,  "  First  Ulster  Regt.,"  and  between  both,  filling 
up  the  field  of  the  medal,  the  inscription  :  "  The  gift  of  the  Earl  of  Charl- 
mont.  The  best  Shot  to  wear  this  Prize  Medal  so  long  as  he  shall  maintain 
his  superior  skill  at  the  Target." 


Rev.— An  oval  garter,  on  which  are  two  laurel  branches,  a  female  mask 
with  flowing  hair,  and  below,  "  1787";  the  whole  enclosing  a  shooting  range, 
with  a  Volunteer  in  uniform,  under  the  spreading  branches  of  a  tree,  preparing 
to  fire  at  a  target. 


94         THE    ULSTER    VOLUNTEERS    OF    '82  :    THEIR    MEDALS,    BADGES,    ETC. 

THE   AUGHNACLOY   BATTALION. 

This  is  a  very  original  and  remarkable  silver  decoration,  Irish  hall-marks, 
17S3,  engraved,  and  made  in  the  form  of  an  Irish  cross  within  a  circle.  The 
four  spaces  between  the  limbs  of  the  cross  are  open,  leaving  the  bands  that 
form  the  cross  and  circle  33  inch  wide. 


Orv. — Engraved  on  the  circle  a  wreath  of  laurel  and  "Aughnacloy  Batta- 
lion"; and  upon  the  perpendicular  rim  of  the  cross  a  harp  and  a  banner 
inscribed  with  the  word  "Liberty." 

Rev. — "The  Gift  of  Colonel  P.  Alexander,  a.d.  1783,"  and  the  initials  of 
the  recipient,  "  T.  K." 

The  uniform  of  this  corps  was  scarlet,  'faced  white.  Aughnacloy  is  in  the 
County  Tyrone,  about  sixteen  miles  south-east  from  Omagh. 


Ubc  Xisburn  ifusileers. 

BV    A.     MUSSf:N,    M.D.,    t'.LF.NAVY. 

The  accompanying  illustration  represents 
a  badge  which  has  been  in  my  family  since 
the  Volunteer  movement  in  1782.  It  is  a 
square  brass — an  unusual  shape,  as  most 
badges  are  oval — with  the  crowned  harp  in 
the  centre,  and  upon  two  ribbons  the  motto 
"Tenax  Propositi,"  and  the  name,  "  Lisburn 
Fusileers."  The  Heterogenea,  page  26,  con- 
tains   a     poem     dedicated     by     A     Lisburn 


LlSlUIRN     \'OI,UNTEER    IUDGK 


VESTRY    BOOK    OF    UNITED    PARISHES.  95 

Volunteer  to    the   Lisburn   First   Company    of  Volunteers,   dated  at    Lisl)uin, 
6   March,  1780,  which  contains  the  Unes  : 

Now  should  proud  France  oppose,  or  timid  S])ain, 

Fair  Lisburn's  sons  would  freely  fight  attain. 

Her  \^olunteers  are  all  both  lu-m  and  true, 

And  gallant  men  as  ever  triggers  drew. 

They  would  stainl  forth,  maintain  our  wholesome  laws. 

And  speak  and  act,  antl  bleed  in  Paddy's  cause. 

The  same  book,  in  enumerating  the  yeomanry  of  a  later  date  on  the 
Hertford  estate,  gives  their  number  as  1,000  men — two  troops  of  cavalry  and 
nine  companies  of  infantry,  giving  the  officers  and  men  of  the  regiment  as 
follow: — Lisburn  Cavalry — Marquis  Hertford,  William  Smyth,  S.  Delacherois, 
James  Fulton  ;  64  men. 

The  J'o/unteer's  Companion  gives  the  uniform  as  scarlet,  faced  blue;  and 
the  officer  as  Lieutenant  John  Kenby. 


lDc6trv^  1^oo\\  of  the  'mnitcb  lPari0hC0 

of  Ballvnvaltcr,  BaU\>baIbcrt,  an^  Jnisbartjic, 

in  tbc  Bibes,  Co.  '^om\,  1700. 

Bv  THE  Rev.   CHARLES    SCOTT,  a.m. 

URINCi  a  short  stay  in  the  parish  of  Bally  waiter,  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  examining  an  old  vestr)-  book  of  the  united 
parishes.  Such  a  book  is  of  some  interest  at  the  present 
time,  as  Tarliament  has  provided  for  the  establishment  of 
parochial  and  district  councils,  thus  giving  an  important 
testimony  to  the  wisdom  of  our  ancestors  in  thus  providing  for  local  govern- 
ment. We  see  that  the  parish  vestry,  as  a  parochial  council,  provided  not  only 
for  the  care  of  the  church,  but  also  took  chaige  of  the  roads  and  looked  after  the 
poor.  The  following  extracts  will  give  instances  of  its  work  in  each  particular. 
Ballywalter,  Ballyhalbert,  and  Inishargie,  were  constituted  a  union  by 
.Act  of  Parliament  in  the  second  year  of  Queen  Anne  (i  703).  This  vestry  book 
was  evidently  begun  as  the  vestry  book  of  the  new  union.  The  Act  of 
Parliament,  2  Anne,  i.,  c.  11,  provides  that  "the  three  Parishes  of  Ballywalter, 
Ballyhalbert,  and  Inishargie  (whereof  Sir  Hans  Hamilton  is  Patron),  in  the 
Diocese  of  Down,  shall  be  united  for  ever  after  the  death  of  either  of  the 
present  Licumbents  ;  and  the  survivor  shall  have  the  Vicaridge  of  the  said 
three  Parishes  during  his  Life,  and  after  his  Death,  the  said  Sir  Hans 
Hamilton,  his  Heirs  and  Assigns,  shall  have  and  continue  their  Right  of 
Presentation  to  the  said  Union  ;  and  a  Church  shall  be  built  in  one  of  the 
townlands  of  the  Parish  of  Liishargie,  in  such  a  Place  for  the  said  Church  and 


96  VESTRY    BOOK    OF    UNITED    PARISHES. 

for  a  Churchyard,  as  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Bishop,  and  convened  by  the 
Owner,  as  aforesaid,  at  the  Expence  of  the  said  United  Parishes,  to  be  assessed 
by  the  Vestry,  in  the  same  Manner  as  the  Church  of  each  Parish,  if  distinct, 
ought  to  have  been  built  and  repaired ;  and  the  said  church,  when  built  and 
consecrated,  shall  for  ever  remain  the  true  and  only  Parish  Church  of  the  said 
three  Parishes." 

Previous  to  1704  the  parish  church  was  in  Ballyhalbert,  the  churches  of 
Ballywalter  and  Inishargie  being  in  ruins.  The  union  was  sometimes  called 
St.  Andrew's,  that  being  the  old  name  of  one  of  the  parishes  (Ballyhalbert), 
and  sometimes  Kirkcubbin,  from  the  town  in  which  the  glebe-house  was 
situated.  Ballywalter  is  sometimes  called  Whitechurch.  Notices  of  the 
early  history  of  these  parishes  will  be  found  in  Bishop  Reeves's  Ecclesiastical 
Anliguities.  The  patronage,  stated  in  the  Act  of  Parliament  to  belong  to 
Sir  Hans  Hamilton,  in  recent  times  belonged  to  the  Lord  Primate. 

The  parish  of  Ballyhalbert  gave  the  title  to  a  prebend  in  the  chapter  of 
Down,  the  Prebend  of  Talpestown,  or  Talbotstown ;  to  which  Patrick 
Hamilton,  m.a.,  was  appointed  in  1609  by  the  charter.  Cotton  states  that 
only  another  prebendary — John  Francis,  or  France — is  known.  Harris  states 
"this  prebend  was  taxed  at  ^^8.  The  tithes  and  lands  are  now  entirely  lost." 
The  vicarage  was  a  collative  benefice,  and  the  rectory  was  appropriated  to  the 
Primate.  Its  connection  with  the  chapter  has,  says  Cotton,  been  utterly 
severed.  The  old  parish  church,  with  its  extensive  and  well  walled-in  grave- 
yard, is  by  the  sea,  beyond  the  village  of  Ballyhalbert. 

The  old  churchyard  of  Ballywalter,  or  Whitechurch,  is  near  Ballywalter. 
It  is  one  of  the  best  cared-for  burying-grounds  in  Co.  Down.  This  is  due  to 
the  Mulholland  family.  Lord  Dunleath's  monument  is  well  worth  a  visit. 
There  is  an  old  stone  in  this  churchyard,  of  which  one  side  is  broken,  which 
bears  the  name  "Robert  Calwel  1663,"  with  the  names,  "Janet,  Margret, 
Robert,  Jean,  David  and  Jean,"  and  the  lines  "  In  pietate  c  .  .  .  semper 
verit  .  .  .  amator  invidus  mali  largu's  et  .  .  .  ece  laude  orbem  splen- 
dore  polum  cineres  q    .    .     .     beatos  fama  illustravit  mens  colit  urna  tenet." 

The  old  church  of  Inishargie  has  been  noticed  by  F.  J.  Bigger  and 
W.  J.  Fennell  in  vol.  iv.,  p.  231. 

It  was,  no  doubt,  the  fact  that  the  parish  church  of  Ballyhalbert  was  at 
the  extreme  end  of  the  union  that  made  it  necessary  to  build  a  new  parish 
church.  A  site  was  found  in  the  townland  of  Balligan,  on  the  shore  of 
Strangford  Lough,  at  a  point  nearly  equally  distant  from  the  towns  of 
Ballywalter,  Ballyhalbert,  and  Kirkcubbin.  It  is  locally  called  Balligan 
Church,  and  is  now  only  used  for  occasional  services.  It  presents  a  curious 
feature  in  the  fact  that  the  vestry-room  is  built  over  the  porch.  It  is  to  the 
period  during  which  this  church  was  the  parish  church  of  the  union  that  this 
old  vestry  book  belongs.     It  is  inscribed  "  United   Parishes  of  Ballywalter, 


VESTRY    BOOK    OF    UNITED    PARISHES.  97 

Ballyhalbert,     and    Inishargie     1706,    Vicar   John     Mercer,    Churchwardens 
John  Hamilton,  Robert  Kilpatrick."     The  first  pages  arc  wanting. 

The  following  extracts  and  notes  will  be  of  more  than  local  interest. 
I  may  say  that  I  found  the  tomb  of  \'icar  John  Mercer  on  the  right-hand  side 
of  the  east  end  of  the  old  church  of  IJallyhalbert.  His  name  has  been  quite 
lost  in  the  neighbourhood. 

ACT  OF  VESTRY,  1729/30. 
"At  a  Vestry  held  on  Wednesday  the  30th  of  February  1729/30  for  the  United  Parishes 
of  Ballywalter,  Ballyhalb'  and  Inishari^y  the  minister  and  churchwardens  and  sevri  of  the 
Parishioners  being  present  it  was  enacted  as  follows,  the  Rev.  Edward  Mathews  Vic''  Gen'  of 
the  Diocese  of  Down  being  present  and  consenting  Whereas  James  Bailie  late  of  Inishargie 
Esq.  did  mortify  the  plot  of  ground  whereon  the  Church  of  St.  Andrew's  now  stands,  And 
endowed  the  same  with  a  gleab,  and  whereas  his  son  John  Bailie  of  Inishargy  Esq  hass  now 
in  his  Possession  two  plots  of  ground  within  the  Church  of  St.  Andrews  one  on  each  side  of 
the  west  door,  for  scats  for  the  accommodation  of  his  family,  we  the  subscribers  do  for  ourselves 
and  the  rest  of  the  Parishioners  declare  our  full  consent,  that  the  said  Seats  shall  forever  be 
possessed  by  the  said  John  Bailie  and  his  family  without  any  Claim  from  us  or  any  of  us  And 
as  far  as  in  our  power  doc  confirm  his  title  to  the  same 

Witness  our  hand  the  day  and  year  above  written.     John  Mercer  I'tc 

Jn°  Bailie  David  McCormick  ^    Chiu-ch 

Gawn  Farris  Tho*  M<:Cullan       j    Wardens 

Thomas  Costella  Done  in  presence  of 

Macom  Billei  Edw:   Mathews:  \'ic:  Gen:  of  Down" 

1749     Church  ceiled  and  porch  built 
1 75 1      It  was  enacted  that  the  clerk  should  have  ^5 

1753     That  the  "  alterpice  and  Rail  and  the  Pulpit  rails"  should  be  repaired 
1755     John  Hanna  Parish  Clerk 

1759     That  the  seat  at  the  upper  end  of  the  south  side  of  the  Church  of  St.  Andrews  "being 
the  sate  next  the  pulpet,"  and  being  the  "sate"  where  the  Rev  John  Mercer  and 

his  family  always  enjoyed  and  has  now  in  his  possession  shall  ever  be 

possessed  and   enjoyed  by  Mr  Mercer  ev  his  family  &   confirm  the  same  for  use  to 

Mr  Henry  Mercer  &  his  sisters  for  ever  To   be  repaired  at  the  expense  of 

Mr  Mercer  &  his  family 
1768     Signature,  For  the  Rev.  Mr.  John  Mercer,  Nich^  Hamilton 
1770     For  the  Rev.  Nich^*  Hamilton  W'"  Eraser  Minister 
1772     Hans  Bailie  Sexton 

1772  John  Courtney  Minister 

1773  For  John  Courtney  Curate  of  said  parish,  Nicholas  Hamilton,  Vicar  of  D.dee 

1775  ^'^  m  I'Vazer  for  Roger  Blackall  Minister 
Roger  Blackall  Vicar 

1776  Robert  McCormick  Curate 

1775     New  Bible  purchased  at  a  cost  of  ^2-5-6 

1777  That  the  sum  of  ;!^2-o-o  to  be  paid  to  William  &   Mary  Clilmore  for  carrying  a  female 

child  to  the  cradle  in  the  Workhouse,  Dublin 
1779     To  finish  the  leaping-on  stone  f^i  £o-z^^\ 

l^he  yearly  entry  was  made  after  this  form  : 

"At  a  Vestry  held  on  Easter  Monday  The  7"'  of  Ap''  1735  for  the  United  Parishes  of 
Ballywalter,  Ballyhalbert  and  Innishargy  y=  Minister  and  Churchwardens  &  severall  of 
y<^  Parishioners  being  Present  it  was  Enacted  y'  Mr  Rob'  Isaac  of  Ballywalter  Gen'  & 
Cap'  George  Matthews  of   Springvail  should  sarve  as  Churchwardens  for  y<=  Ensuing  year 

(1)  This  was,  doubtless,  for  mounling  on  horseback. 


95  VESTRY    BOOK    OF    UNITED    PARISHES. 

&  y'  Alex""  Bell  of  Springvail  &  William  Reid  of  Balligy  should  serve  as  sid'smen  for  s"^  year 
&  y'  y=  severall  sums  should  be  apploted  and  levied  on  y^  said  Parishes  viz 

for  Eliments 

for  Churchwardens  for  s'^  year 

for  William  Saul  for  keeping  the  Church  in  repare 

for  Table  Cloath  and  two  Napkins 

for  John  Cork  for  cleaning  ye  Church 


14 

6 

15 

0 

ire     I     0 

0 

I      3 

0 

6 

0 

3   18 

6 

Minister 

John  Mercer 

Adam  Rieed 

John  Tamson 

John  Bailie 
Thos  Boyd 
James  Gay 
Jas  Reid 
John  Purs 
Alex''  Lyon 

The  following  shows  the  means  by  which  the  roads  were  kept  in  order : 

"30"'  September  1729.  It  was  enacted  that  John  Bailie  Esq  and  Mr  Robert  Allen  of 
Inishargy  should  serve  as  directors  for  the  several  highways  within  the  parish  of  St.  Andrew's, 
and  that  John  Park  of  Roddans  and  William  Creak  of  Grange  should  serve  as  overseers  for 
the  high  roads  within  the  Parish  of  Ballyhalbert  and  George  Wallace  of  Springvale  and  John 
McCormick  as  overseers  for  the  parish  of  Bally  waiter." 

In  addition  to  the  care  of  foundlings  and  providing  coffins  for  the  poor, 
we  often  find  measures  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  ;  for  instance  the  following  : 

"  I773>  5"'  October.  It  is  enacted, "etc.,  "which  shall  be  applied  to  buye  Badges  for  the 
resident  Poor  in  ye  sd  Parish  which  poor  entitled  to  wear  such  Badges  shall  be  ascertained 
at  some  future  Vestry  to  be  held  in  the  parish  of  St  Andrews." 

for  John  Courtney  curate  of  sd  Parish 

Nicholas  Hamilton  Vicar  of  Donaghadee  " 

CHURCHWARDENS. 

1706  John  Hamilton  Robert  Kilpatrick 

1729  David  McCormick  B.hemlin  Thomas  M"^Cullan 

1730  George  Wallace  Springvale  Hugh  Craig  Grangee 

1731  John  Warnock  B.feris  Hugh  Brown  H. 

1732  Robert  Bailie 

1733  John  Bell  Whitechurch  Hugh  Wilson  B.hemlin 

1734  Adam  Reed  Ruragh  John  Thompson  B. waiter 

1735  Robert  Isaac  B. waiter  Capt  Geo  Matthews  Springvale 

1736  Robert  Kilpatrick  B.feris  John  Hamilton  B.halbert 

1737  Alexander  Caughe  Kcubbin  Charles  Mi^Kee  Innishargie 

1738  James  John  B.easboro'  James  Todd  Balligan 

1739  Edward  Warnock  B.garvan  James  Boddan  Echlinsvale 

1740  Andrew  Coffy  Portevogy  John  Loughlin  B. waiter 

1 74 1  William  Beck  Fishquarter  Mr  Hamill 

1742  Hugh  Laughlin 

1743  James  Shaw  Gransha  Hugh  Conagher  Ballobekin 

1744  James  Stoope  B.halbert  William  Raftin  B.feris 

1745  Nathanel  M'^Kea  Roureagh  David  Beck  Ballyay 

1746  William  M'^Cormick  B. waiter  Robert  Brown  Glastry 

1747  Hugh  Kilpatrick  B.hemlin  Robert  Boal  B.feris 

1748  James  Allen  Nunsquarter  Thomas  Gelson  Gransha 

1749  John  Ruthford  B.feris  David  McKee  B.eashurgh 


VESTRY    BOOK    OF    UNITED    PARISHES. 


99 


1750  Thomas  Hanangton  B.obican 

1 75 1  James  Lavery  B.halbert 

1752  James  Reid  B. waiter 

1753  Thomas  Filson  K.cubbin 

1754  James  Dorrian  Rowban 

1755  James  Ross  C'lianshaw 

1756  Robert  Baihe  K.cubbin 

(Caughey) 

1757  John  Chachie  H.garvin 

1758  Henry  Brown 

1759  John  Orr  P.vogie 

1760  WiUiam  Boyd  Esq 

1761  William  Allen  I.hargie 

1762  William  M^Kee 

1763  Alexander  M'^Cormick  B.hemlin 

1764  James  Bailie  Esq 

1765  Henry  Moore  B.  waiter 

1766  Alexander  ^lartin  B. waiter- 

1767  Michael  Corbit  B.  at  wood 

1768  Alexander  Davidson  Dunover 

1769  William  M  Whork  B.halbert 

1770  Thomas  McCracken  Q.ayne 

1 77 1  Archibald  Scott  B.obigan 

1772  Robert  Orr  P.vogie 

1773  Robert  Wallace  B. waiter 

1774  Andrew  M"-Cormick  B.  waiter 

1775  Robert  Marquis  Ballypeach 

1776  Edward  Calvert  Glastry 
"^m  John  Boyd  Roureagh 

1778  Robert  Orr  Kirkubbin 

1779  Hugh  Craig  Roddins 

1780  Samuel  Coffey  B.easborough 

1781  John  C.illiland 

1782  Benjamin  Bell  Glastry 

1783  Robert  Loughlin 

1784  James  Caughey  Roddins 


Arthur  Leish  B.  waiter 
Thomas  Boid  B.  waiter 
John  Welsh  Cranshaw 
John  Baird  Whitechurch 
Robert  Brain  Ganaway 
William  Wallace  B.feris 
James  White  S[5ringvail 

.Samuel  Warnock  Rowreagh 
Archiljald  Warnock 
James  M'^Clure  Gonay 
John  Matthewes  Est] 
William  Baillie  B.hemlin 
Robert  Orr 
John  Bell  W.church 
Hugh  Andrews  Fishquarter 
James  Spence  B.  waller 
Thomas  Shaw  Glastry 
William  Park  Roddins 
Thomas  Kennad  Jnr  B.easbrough 
Malcom  Richey  Whitechurch 
James  Mones  Roureagh 
John  M'^Kelvey  B.halbert 
Thomas  M'^Creedy  S.vale 
John  M'^Kee  Beasboro' 
Samuel  Gelston  Gransha 
Nevin  M'^Kee  Whitechurch 
John  M'^Dowell  Gonaway 
Archibald  Scott  B.obican 
Andrew  Adams  B.  waiter 
Hugh  Johnston  B.obican 
James  Rolston  (ionaway 
Thomas  Warnock 
James  M'^Cormick  B.feris 
James  ( iilmore 
Capt  Thomas  Helnn  B.  waiter 


Of  these  names  of  the  leading  people  of  the  parish  in  the  last  century, 
there  are  no  doubt  many  representatives  still.  In  the  old  record  many  names 
are  difificult  to  make  out,  and  the  spelling  is  sometimes  largely  phonetic. 
The  old  book  was  taken  in  charge  by  the  late  Canon  Edward  Lyle,  and 
I  understand  that  it  has  been  properly  bound,  and  is  carefully  preserved  at 
Kirkcubbin. 


IRobcrt  Hnt)cr0on,  tbc  (^unlbcvlau^  Barb. 

Some  Notes  on  his  connection  ivith  Belfast  and  Carnmoney,   1808-1818. 
By  FRANCIS  JOSEPH  BIGGER,  Editor. 

Y  first  acquaintance  with  the  Cumberland  Bard  occurred  in 
going  through  some  old  family  papers,  when  I  found  a 
letter,  dated  from  Carnmoney,  June,  1818,  and  addressed 
to  my  grandmother,  Mrs.  David  Bigger,  of  High  Street, 
Belfast,  enclosing  an  epitaph  on  the  death  of  her  husband. 

Upon  inquiry  from  relatives  and  friends,  I  found  that  Robert  Anderson  was 

a  Cumberland  man,  a  cotton-print 

designer,    whom     my    grandfather 

had   employed  in   the  Carnmoney 

Cotton    Print  Works  in  which   he 

was  a  proprietor,    for  about  seven 

or  eight  years  prior    to  his    death 

in  18 1 8.    One  thing  led  to  another, 

until   I   have  accumulated  the  fol- 
lowing facts,  which   1   consider  not 

unworthy  of  a  place  in  this  journal  : 
In  the  beginning  of  the  present 

century,  the  poetry  of  Burns  had  a 

very  definite  effect  upon  the  poetic 

aspirants  to  fame  in  our  Northern 

Athens,  as  Belfast  was  then  called.'^' 

Ploughman  and  artizan,  merchant 

and    land-owner,    each     vied    with 

the    other   in   literary    study,   pro- 
ducing    innumerable     books,     in 

which    merit    is   more  or  less  con-  Monument  to  Robert  Anderson 

spicuous.  IN  Carlisle  Cathedral. 

Andrew  McKenzie,   from    his  weaver's   loom   at    Dunover,   addressed,   in 
1 8 10,  his  stanzas  to  Robert  Anderson,  who  had  arrived  in   Belfast  only  two 

years    previous  :    so   their  poetic  instincts  had   soon   made  them  acquainted. 


(1)  Tlie  writer  has  over  one  huiKlred  volumes  of  poetry  in 
lailing  from  the  immediate  vicinity  of  that  city. 


brary  written  by  Belfast  men  and  those 


ROBERT    ANDERSON,    THE    CUMBERLAND    BARD.  lol 

Anderson  returned  this  compliment  in  the  Ninvs-I.citcr,  dating  it  from  Cam- 
money,  29  October,  1810. 

Quite  a  coterie  of  poor  poets,  at  this  time,  pubHshed  tlieir  books  of  songs 
and  addresses.  James  Orr  of  Ballycarry  issued  a  voknne  in  1805,  containing 
an  epistle  to  Samuel  Thomson,  the  schoolmaster  of  Carngrcine,  who,  a  year 
later,  published  his  little  volume,  with  many  sonnets  and  epistles.  Hugh 
Tynan,  "unnoticed,  helpless,  and  forlorn,"  in  Donaghadee,  yet  found  time  to 
write  some  sad  and  reflective  poems,  which  were  published  in  1803;  whilst 
a  few  years  later,  Hugh  Porter,  a  County  Down  weaver,  sent  forth  his  Poetic 
Attempts — not  by  any  means  devoid  of  merit. 

Space  would  not  permit  to  retail  one-tenth  of  the  effusions  of  this  era,  nor 
to  touch  the  more  scholarly  attempts  of  such  as  Miss  Balfour,  who,  from  her 
prim  ladies'  school  in  Belfast,  wrote  many  fine  pieces,  and  translated  with 
taste  much  original  Irish  poetry.  Her  poem,  entitled  Nancy  of  the  Branching 
Tresses,  tells  of  Betsy  Gray,  the  County  Down  '98  heroine,  in  accents  of 
plaintive  beauty,  and  is,  perhaps,  the  first  record  of  that  romantic  but  tragic 
episode. 

Dr.  Drennan  wrote  his  stirring  songs  at  Cabin  Hill;  and  his  friend. 
Dr.  Drummond — more  pedantic,  as  became  his  calling — indited  the  pompous 
lines  of  the  The  Giant^s  Causeway  and  Tlie  Batlle  of  Trafalgar,  from  the 
heights  of  Mount  Collyer.  Youthful  striplings  laid  their  tril^utes  at  the 
Muses'  feet.  Of  these  was  Thomas  Romney  Robinson,  a  youth  of  fourteen 
years,  who  satchelled  his  books  to  the  old  academy  in  Donegall  Street — 
books  scribbled  with  many  poetic  fancies,  and  interleaved  with  the  lad's 
translations  from  Ovid's  Aletainorphoses  and  Tristia. 

Well  might  such  company  and  such  surroundings  further  inspire  even  a 
Cumberland  bard,  who  bemoans,  whilst  residing  in  Carnmoney,  the  "scenery 
of  a  barren  country,"  as  compared  with  the  surroundings  of  Carlisle,  the  city 
which  gave  him  birth,  and  which,  after  life's  fitful  fever,  received  him  in  her 
consecrated  arms. 

I  do  not  mean  to  give  the  full  details  of  his  life,  which  have  been  written 
by  himself  as  an  introduction  to  his  collected  works,  in  two  volumes,  published 
in  Carlisle  in  1820  ;  but  only  wish  to  refer  to  him  during  his  residence  in  the 
North  of  Ireland.  I  have  a  volume  of  his  poems.  Ballads  in  the  Cumberland 
Dialect,  published  at  Wigton  in  1808,'^'  which  must  have  been  issued  on  the 
very  eve  of  his  departure  for  Ireland ;  for  I  find  a  poem,  published  in  this 
country — Song,  addressed  to  a  yo/nig-  lady — written  in  the  November  of  that 
year,  from  Brookfield,  near  Belfast.  This  was  the  print-works  near  Doagh, 
where  he  worked  for  less  than  two  years,  until  the  works  were  closed.  Sadly 
he  penned  his  Adieu  to  Erin,  and  was  about  to  return  to  his  native  land, 
when     David     Bigger    engaged     him    for    the    print-works    at    Carnmoney. 

(1)  I  have  also  a  volume  with  same  title,  published  at  Carlisle  in  1805. 


102  ROBERT    ANDERSON,    THE    CUMBERLAND    BARD. 

He  resided  there  until  1818,  when  my  grandfather  died,  upon  which 
event  he  wrote  the  following  letter  to  my  grandmother,  and  enclosed 
the  epitaph  referred  to,  the  originals  of  which  are  still  preserved  at  Ardrie  : 

Carnmonev, 
Mrs.   Bigger,  .  ^^      ^j>^j> 

High  Street,  Belfiist.  -^ 

Madam, 

Like  all  my  acquaintance  around,  I  felt  great  sorrow  for  the  loss  of  your 
husband,  a  man  universally  esteemed  by  all  ranks  :  but  the  virtuous  in  this  life  enjoy  hai)pi- 
ness  hereafter  ;  therefore  we  ought  not  to  repine  at  the  will  of  the  omniscient  Ruler  of  the 
world. 

Vou  will  please  to  accept  the  tribute  of  just  praise  paid  to  the  departed  worth.  I  flatter 
myself  it  will  not  prove  uninteresting  to  you  or  your  amiable  family  :  and  should  you  think 
proper  to  erect  a  monumental  stone,  if  my  advice  be  considered  serviceable  on  such  an 
occasion,  you  will  be  pleased,  Madam,  to  command  me. 

Your  opinion  of  the  enclosed  will  be  gratefully  received  by. 

Madam, 

Your  obliged  Servt., 

RoBT.  Anderson. 
EPITAPH    ON    DAVID    BIGGER,   Esq. 
Affection  tender  rears  this  humble  stone, 
A  mould'ring  mark  of  gratitude,  to  one 
Who  in  the  Husband,  Parent,  and  the  Friend, 
Love,  fondness,  and  sincerity  did  blend ; 
Whose  thoughts  Ambition  never  taught  to  stray 
Nor  own'd  unlawful  Pleasure's  dang'rous  sway. 
The  love  of  country  warm'd  his  feeling  breast ; 
And  proud  was  he  to  succour  the  distressed  : 
Cheerful,  resignVl,  life's  peaceful  vale  he  trod. 
And  rested  on  the  mercy  of  his  God. 
Go,  Reader,  and  when  in  earth's  silent  womb, 
May  Truth  give  such  a  tribute  at  thy  tomb  ! 

The  above  epitaph  was  not,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  published  in  the 
local  press,  but  it  appeared  in  the  Carlisle  edition  of  Anderso/i\<;  Foa/is, 
published  in  1S20,  vol.  ii.,  p.  91.  The  third  and  fourth  lines  appear  in  the 
original  MS.,  but  not  in  the  1S20  edition;  otherwise  they  are  alike. 

It  is  said  that  Anderson,  while  resident  here,  almost  rivalled  Goldsmith  in 
his  charity,  sparing  himself  nothing.  He  would  have  given  all  his  money,  or 
food,  or  his  very  clothes,  to  those  who  were  in  need.  In  his  memoir,  he 
says  :  "  Duty  soon  led  me  to  share  my  income  with  the  wretched  and  help- 
less, which,  my  friends  well  know,  added  no  little  to  the  happiness  of  many, 
and  afforded  me  true  pleasure.  Charity  balls,  as  they  are  termed,  were 
frequently  held  ;  and  at  these  I  collected  considerable  sums,  which,  without 
doubt,  saved  numbers  from  the  grave.  Subscriptions  were  liberally  attended 
to  at  the  Print-works,  whenever  they  were  deemed  necessary  ;  not  only  for  the 
wretched  families  employed  there,  but  for  the  helpless  throughout  the 
neighbourhood.  On  these  occasions  I  was  uniformly  appointed  collector, 
and  I  still  pray  for  the  happiness  of  my  fellow-workmen,  whose  benevolence 


ROBERT  ANDERSON,  THE  CUMBERLAND  BARD.  103 

will  seldom  be  equalled."  During  this  time  his  "lodging  here  was  at  a 
retired  farm-house,  with  a  peaceable  family,"  consisting  of  Thomas  and  Andrew 
Stewart,  and  some  female  members ;  the  place  was  known  as  Springtown,  in 
the  townland  of  Ballyearl,  Carnmoney.  The  cottage  still  stands  on  the  farm 
of  my  friend,  Thomas  Houston.  So  much  charity  on  the  part  of  Robert 
Anderson  led  to  kindness  of  a  different  sort  being  pressed  upon  him,  and 
he  fell  a  victim  to  inebriety,  a  habit  which  ever  afterwards  followed  him, 
shadowing  him  to  the  grave. 

Amongst  a  mass  of  literary  papers  which  I  have  inherited,  I  find  a 
quantity  belonged  to  the  poet  Samuel  Thomson  of  Oambo  Cave  (as  he 
facetiously  termed  his  modest  cottage  on  the  lands  of  the  iMacNeillys  of 
Carngreine),  and  amongst  them  a  letter  from  Robert  Anderson,  addressed  to 
his  friend  Thomson.  Thomson  had  visited  Robert  Burns  some  years  before 
this,  and  Anderson  was  also  a  great  admirer  of  that  bard.  "  Gaelus  "  was 
Andrew  McKenzie,  whom  Anderson  had  visited  at  Dunover  in  1810,  when 
he  addressed  a  sonnet  To  the  Infant  Son  of  Gae/i/s,  beginning  with  the  lines  : 

"  Sweet  bud  !  thy  full  blue  eye,  health-blooming  cheek, 

And  dimpling  smile,  how  cherub-like  to  see  !" 
and  ending  with  the  couplet : 

"  Long  may'st  thou  tread  thy  father's  steps,  Sweet  Boy, 

And  crown  thy  Parents'  closing  years  with  joy." 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  letter  addressed  to  Samuel  Thomson  by 
Robert  Anderson  : 

Dear  Sir,  -'-'  f'^'l"-"^'-)',  1S12. 

My  friend  Gaelus  is  a  man  of  principle,  and  will  not  forfeit  his  word  :  he  left  the 
Vol.  with  me,  and  I  have  frequently  intended  paying  you  a  visit,  but  was  as  often  disappointed. 
Spring  will  soon  throw  her  floral  carpet  on  the  earth,  and  I  will  do  myself  the  pleasure  of 
shaking  you  by  the  hand  in  Crambo  Cave.  Accept  the  enclosed,  as  a  proof  of  esteem  ;  and 
altho'  Enigma-hunting  has  never  been  my  pursuit,  yet  I  am  vain  enough  to  suppose  it  will 
merit  your  approbation.  Have  you  been  toiling  at  the  Loom  of  Poesy  lately?  Excuse  the 
question.  Sir  ;  as  a  fellow-labourer  in  the  poetical  vineyard,  I  may  be  allowed  that  freedom. 
The  bearer  is  a  youth  for  whom  I  entertain  great  respect,  and  would  willingly  serve.  I  had 
almost  neglected  informing  you  of  Mr.  McKenzie's  intention  to  leave  his  native  place  ;  he  has 
had  an  advantageous  offer  from  a  Gentleman  in  the  South  of  Ireland,  to  become  School- 
master ;  but  I  consider  him  ill-calculated  for  the  arduous  undertaking. 

That  Poverty  may  never  hurt  your  feelings,  by  squinting  in  at  the  Cave  ;  and  that 
Happiness,  and  the  rosy  goddess  Health,  may  be  your  companions  till  Time  has  added  another 
half  century  to  your  age,  is  the  wish  of  one  who  will  be  proud  to  serve  you. 

Ballyearl,  Robt.  Anderson. 

Saturday  evening. 

The  above  is  a  fair  sample  of  the  numerous  letters  I  have,  which  passed 
between  these  local  poets. 

Anderson  did  not  publish  any  volume  in  Ireland,  most  of  his  pieces 
appearing  from  time  to  time  in  the  N'etvs  Letter  and  Commc/riat  Chronicle. 
Those  which  appeared  in  the  Neivs- Letter  a.xt  found  in  A  Collection  of  Poems 
on  various  subjects.     Vol.  ii.      Belfast:  Alexander  Mackay.      18 10. 


ROBERT    ANDERSON,    THE    CUMBERLAND    BARD, 


The  following  pieces  are  in  this  volume  : 


Mary  

The  Shipwrecked  Seaboy 
Epistle  to  Andrew  McKenzie 
Inscription  for  a  Seal 
Evening     


Page  ,               _                                                              ,         .        .        ^^^"^ 

17  Epigram  on  a  Young  Lady's  Singing  87 

61  The  Blind  Beggar              ...          ...     90 

79  The  Days  that  are  gone   ...          ...     92 

82  The  Captain's  Lady  .           ...     97 

83  The  Widow  149 


Anderson  in  his  memoir  refers  to  The  Mountain  Boy,  which  he  wrote 
whilst  journeying  from  Carlisle  to  Ireland,  as  being  "published  immediately  on 
his  arrival  in  Belfast." 

I  have  not  found  this  piece  in  a  local  publication,  but  it  appears  in  the 
1820  edition,  page  178,  vol.  ii.,  where  the  Epitaph  on  David  Bigger,  Esq.,  and 
Lines  tvritlen  in  Carrickfergus  Jail  dixe  also  found,  though  I  cannot  find  them 
in  any  Belfast  paper.  Most  of  the  poems  which  I  have  found  in  Belfast 
prints  appear  in  this  edition.  I  have  copies  of  the  following  pieces,  that 
have  been  cut  from  newspapers,  probably  the  Belfast  Comnierdai  Chronicle  : 
"  True  Friends  and  Good  Lasses,"  "  The  Banks  of  Eden,"  "  Our  Sailors," 
"Man  was  made  to  Mourn,"  "To  Solitude,"  "To  the  Infant  Son  of  Gaelus," 
"To  the  Lark,"  "Song."  Of  all  these  pieces,  fifteen  are  dated  from  Cam- 
money,  two  from  Brookfield,  two  from  Belfast,  and  one  from  Dunover. 

The  last  edition  of  Anderson's  poems  was  printed  in  1866:  Cumber/and 
Ballads,  by  Robert  Anderson.  London:  George  Routledge  &  Sons;  George 
Coward,   Carlisle. 

.'Vnderson  was  an  excellent  workman  at  Carnmoney,  and  many  beautiful 
samples  of  printed  calico  from  his  designs  are  still  preserved  at  Ardrie.  His 
later  years  were   not  happy,  although   many  friends  tried   to  save  him  from 

himself,  and  to  render  his  declining 
years  free  from  want  and  distress.  On 
the  26  September,  1833,  he  died  at 
Carlisle,  aged  63  years,  and  was  in- 
terred in  Saint  Mary's  Churchyard. 
When  recently  in  Carlisle  I  paid  a 
hurried  visit  to  the  fine  old  Cathedral, 
and  was  pleased  to  find  a  monument 
had  been  erected  to  Robert  Anderson 
within  its  ancient  walls.  Through  the 
courtesy  of  the  Dean,  I  am  able  to 
reproduce  the  monument,  as  an  illus- 
tration to  this  article,  together  with 
the  obelisk  over  his  grave,  both  of 
which  were  erected  by  public  subscrip- 
tion. The  former  is  doubly  interesting, 
on  account  of  the  portrait  of  Anderson, 
which  has  been  sculptured  on  its  face. 


Monument  erected  over  the  Grave 
OK  Robert  Anderson. 


^be  Connor  ©oame,  Countv^  Hntrim. 


A  A'e7C'  Ri'adi/ig  of  the  Inscriptions. 
By  ROBERT  COCHRANE,  f.s.a. 


y.  i^,vk'  HE  recent  discovery  of  ogams,  first  recorded  in  the  Ulster 

^^^W   J<^^''^"^^^  ^/  Archicology  (vol.  v.,  p.  47),   has  afforded  much 

pleasure  and  satisfaction  to  all  students  of  these  puzzling 

;    l^^^?    inscriptions;    and  at  present  comparatively  more  interest, 

^i%le«^^^^  in  one  sense,  attaches  to  the  locale  of  the  find  than  to  the 
lettering  on  the  stones.  It  is  to  he  hoped  that  the  interest  in  the  names 
recorded  will  increase  as  they  become  better  known  and  more  fully  examined. 

Less  than  two  years  ago  theories  were  formulated  on  the  supposed  partial 
distribution  of  ogam  monuments  in  Ireland ;  the  east  and  north-east  of  the 
country  were  considered  as  barren  in  their  production  ;  but  the  discoveries  in 
the  period  named  have  brought  the  whole  extent  of  the  country  into  line,  and 
for  the  future,  in  deducing  theories  from  the  extent  of  the  ogam  area,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  that  no  portion  of  Ireland  of  any  considerable 
extent  can  with  confidence  be  excluded  as  non-productive. 

Important  as  the  locale  of  the  Antrim  ogams  is,  the  inscriptions  are  not 
behind  in  this  respect,  as  it  will  probably  be  found  possible  to  connect  at  least 
one  of  the  names  with  the  names  of  historical  personages  of  whom  records  have 
been  preserved,  and  thus  add  to  the  human  interest  which  some  say  they  fail 
to  find  in  ogamic  research. 

In  the  Rev.  Dr.  Buick's  description  of  No.  i  stone  (published  in  the 
Journal  of  the  J^.S.A.,  1898),  he  refers  to  it  as  follows  : 

"  The  Maqui  is  unquestionable.  After  tliis  the  arris  takes  a  turn  downward  ;  the  angle 
of  the  stone  has  had  a  small  fragment  broken  off  it  before  being  selected  for  the  inscription, 
and  the  letters  follow  the  lower  edge  of  the  break.  The  patronymic  begins  with  the  change 
ts  first  letter  being  a  bold  and  unmistakable  A.     Then  comes 


in  the  direction  of  the  arri 

C,  after  which  we  have  seven  notches 


This  inscription  has  been  read  as  herewith  : 


irmr 


TOR AE  SCEUSAS 

T       oT 


MAOUl      ACOIMEUTIN 
El)  oT 


Io6  THE  CONNOR  OGAMS,  COUNTY  ANTRIM. 

I  propose  to  fill  up  the  space  caused  by  the  break  Dr.  Buick   refers  to  by 
adding  three  scores — 


thus  making  the  line 

M    '"'llllllBREAKI  '"'ll    Mill  /nil  llJIIlllll  iiiii'llll 

tf)  rend  as 

nil  /;;i  "I'll  mil /mm  111  II'  iiiii|||||iiiii 

MAQU  i[m^coime:uti    n    i 

One  of  the  first  things  to  be  looked  into  in  attempting  to  read  an  ogam 
inscription  is  to  note  any  possible  hiatus,  and  Dr.  Buick's  description  clearly 
suggests  one;  and  the  question  becomes,  what  are  the  missing  scores?  The 
new  reading  here  attempted  gives  as  the  patronymic  the  name  MEUTINI, 
the  whole  reading  MAQUI  MUCOI  MEUTINI,  out  of  which  something 
may  be  made,  while  the  word  ACOIMEUTINI  seems  rather  impracticable. 

Principal  Rhys,  f.s.a.,  has  published  a  reading  practically  the  same  as 
that  of  Dr.  Buick,  and  I  communicated  with  both  of  these  gentlemen  as  to 
the  revised  reading  suggested  herein.  The  former  at  once  wrote  to  say  he 
considered  it  a  most  interesting  one,  and  that  he  agreed  with  it.  He  says 
further  : 

"  Meuthini  is  a  name ;  and  if  you  will  turn  to  the  Lives  of  the  Cambro- British  Saints, 
p.  25,  el  seg.,  you  will  there  find  it  is  in  the  form  Meuthi:  sometimes  given  so,  and  sometimes 
Latinized  into  Meuthius,  genitive  Meuthii,  dative  Meuthio,  for  it  occurs  a  good  many  times. 
It  was  the  name  of  no  less  a  person  than  he  who  baptized  St.  Cadoc  and  educated  him. 
Note  that  he  is  introduced  as  Irish  '■  quidam  religiostts  Hibernensis  hetmita  Deo  devotius 
servieus  nomine  MeitthL' 

"  P\ir  my  part,  I  should  take  this  to  be  the  same  name;  for  the  Pictish  genitive  of 
Meuthi  would  be  Meuthin;  and  to  make  that  a  good  Goidelic  (or  Latin)  genitive,  you  have 
only  to  put  in  the  i,  and  you  have  Meuthini.  This  might  be  objected  to;  but  your  objector 
could  go  no  farther  than  to  say  that  your  RIeuthiui  is  not  the  same  name  as  Meuthi,  but  a 
name  derived  from  it,  and  closely  related  to  it.  Even  that  should  satisfy  you  for  the  present, 
so  Meuthini  is  a  name;  and,  reasoning  backwards,  the  previous  letters  must  mean  something, 
and  your  MUCOI  is  the  natural  solution.  All  this  vastly  increases  the  interest  one  feels 
in  having  the  stones  ]iroperly  examined  in  daylight." 

Tile  Rev.  Edmond  Barry,  m.r.i.a.,  one  of  the  most  cautious  and  experi- 
enced Irish  ogamists,  says  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  ACOI  should  be 
read  as  MUCOI,  or  MOCOI.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Buick  does  not  consider  the 
surmise  correct. 


THE  CONNOR  OGAMS,  COUNTY  ANTRIM.  107 

When  in  Ballymena  in  September  last,  I  heard  of  the  discovery  of  these 
stones,  and  found  that  the  investigation  was  still  in  the  hands  of  some  local 
archaeologists.  In  October,  I  wrote  to  one  interested  in  the  subject,  proposing 
to  visit  the  place,  and  suggesting  the  removal  of  the  earth  from  the  stones, 
and  offering  to  pay  the  cost  of  the  labour.  Difficulties  in  the  way  of  such 
a  course  were  mentioned  ;  and  for  reasons  I  need  not  refer  to,  I  did  not 
visit  the  locality  to  make  a  personal  examination.  If  I  might  now  be 
permitted  to  say  so,  I  would  suggest  that,  if  it  could  be  arranged  that  the 
three  feet  or  so  of  earth  could  be  removed  at  a  date  to  be  fixed  beforehand, 
say  in  June  next,  several  experts  would  gladly  avail  of  the  opportunity,  from 
both  sides  of  the  Channel,  to  undertake  the  journey  to  Antrim,  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  latest  ogam  discovery. 


The  discovery  of  the  Connor  ogams  has  created  the  greatest  interest 
amongst  antiquaries;  and  I  consider  the  suggestion  of  Robert  Cochrane  an 
excellent  one;  viz.,  that  the  stones  should  be  exposed  to  the  light  on  a  stated 
day,  when  other  experts  might  be  present.  As  the  editor  of  the  journal  in 
which  these  inscriptions  were  first  made  public,  I  will  gladly  co-operate  with 
the  Rector  of  Connor,  who  first  discovered  them,  in  carrying  this  into  effect. 

F.  J.  B. 

The  following  notices  of  these  ogams  appeared  in  the  Journal  of  /he 
Royal  Society  of  A/iliqiiarics,  December,  1898,  subsequent  to  the  notice  in 
this  journal. 

Principal  Rhys,  ll.d.,  f.s.a.,  writes: 

"There  appears  to  he  a  difticulty  in  getting  at  tlie  stones,  and  the  lettering  is  hard  to 
make  out,  so  these  readings  must,  for  the  present,  be  regarded  as  provisional.  But,  even  if 
they  are  only  apjiroximately  correct,  we  have  here  names  utterly  unlike  anything  known  to 
the  Celtic.  Perhaps  Avarati  might  be  said  to  remind  one  of  '  Dal  n-Araide''  and  '  Regio 
Aradh-iue.'' ;  otherwise,  I  can  only  put  together  the  fact  of  the  obscurity  of  these  names, 
and  that  of  their  being  found  in  the  heart  of  the  country  of  the  Cruithni,  or  Picts  of  Ireland. 
No  light  on  the  Pictish  question  has  ever  been  expected  from  that  quarter ;  so  the  finding  of 
these  inscriptions  is  at  once  a  surprise  and  an  event  of  capital  importance,  possibly,  for  the 
ethnology  of  the  British  Isles." 

Robert  Cochrane,  m.r.i.a.,  writes  in  the  same  journal  : 

"  Remarkable  as  was  the  discovery  of  the  Meath  ogams,  it  is  quite  eclipsed  by  the 
County  Antrim  finds  in  the  extreme  north-east  of  Ireland,  in  a  district  hitherto  unsuspected 
of  having  had  such  monuments.  Possibly  the  same  causes  which,  in  later  times,  led  to  the 
disappearance  of  the  stone  crosses  in  the  northern  counties,  may  have  operated  against  the 
preservation  of  ogam  stones.  The  Antrim  monuments  have  been  found  in  the  roof  of  a 
souterrain— a  position  of  security  which  thoroughly  protected  them.  Mucli  may  be  hoped 
for  from  a  thorough  investigation  of  the  numerous  souterrains  in  this  county.  The  number 
of  such  structures  actually  known  to  exist,  and  which  have  not  been  explored  or  opened  up, 
is  amazing.  Large  districts  in  Antrim,  in  which  these  souterrains  abound,  are  deficient  in 
good  building  stone,  especially  of  the  size  suitable  for  forming  the  roof,  and  a  block  of  the 
size  on  which  ogams  are  usually  inscribed  would  certainly  be  availed  of  for  the  purpose ;  and 
if  a  primitive  cemetery  had  been  at  hand,  the  stones  would,  no  doubt,  be  availed  of  It  is 
not  an  over-sanguine  speculation  to  imagine  that  similar  discoveries  may  be  made  in  Antrim 

H 


Io8  TITHES    ON    HEMP    AND    FLAX    IN    1704. 

or  the  adjoining  counties,  where,  up  to  the  present,  no  ogams  have  been  found ;  and  this 
probability,  even  if  remote,  should  give  an  impetus  to  the  systematic  examination  of  these 

unexplored   structures The  Antrim   discovery — the   most  important   for  many 

years — is  very  fully  described  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Buick,  and  it  is  not  necessary  to  further  refer 
to  it,  except  to  express  the  hope  that  steps  will  be  taken  to  have  the  earth  removed,  and  the 
stones  taken  up  and  exposed  to  daylight  for  the  most  careful  reading;  and  this  is  the  more 
desirable  owing  to  the  faintness  of  the  scores,  which,  even  under  the  most  favourable  circum- 
stances of  a  daylight  inspection,  will  be  very  difficult  to  read  and  interpret.  Moreover, 
there  may  be  markings  on  the  other  stones,  but  out  of  the  reach  of  one's  eyes  or  fingers. 
The  Dunloe  ogam  cave  has  been  unroofed  and  uncovered  three  times  to  facilitate  the  reading; 
the  Drumloghan  cave  twice;  and  arrangements  have  been  made  for  the  removal  of  the 
superincumbent  earth  for  another  examination  of  the  stones  in  the  latter  cave  by  experts 
early  next  summer. 

"  The  Antrim  find  makes  the  seventeenth  instance  in  which  ogams  have  been  discovered 
in  a  cave.  In  nearly  every  case  these  souterrains  have  been  clearly  identified  as  rath  caves. 
Sometimes,  however,  it  is  difficult  to  trace  the  line  of  rath,  and  this  is  generally  so  in  County 
Antrim,  where  the  improving  propensities  of  the  thrifty  tenant  have  induced  him  to  level  the 
mound  and  fill  up  the  fosse,  in  many  cases  leaving  no  trace  of  the  earthwork  visible,  save 
such  as  may  be  seen  in  some  seasons  when  the  greater  luxuriance  of  the  crop  over  the  levelled 
ground  marks  out  the   'fairy-ring'  of  the   'good  peo])le,'  for  whom,  however,  the  Northern 

farmer  of  the  present  day  has  very  little  respect In  concluding  this  rcsufiic  of 

the  ogam  finds  for  the  year,  I  would  again  press  on  the  attention  of  those  members  residing 
in  the  neighbourhood  the  necessity  for  having  the  Antrim  stones  carefully  examined  in  full 
daylight.  There  are  several  points  which  still  require  elucidation,  of  which  I  will  mention 
one.  As  there  is  a  defect  in  the  stone  after  the  word  MAQUI,  and  possibly  some  letters  are 
omitted,  the  next  word  is,  no  doubt,  MUCOI,  leaving  the  patronymic  to  be  MEUTINI, 
instead  of  ACOIMEUTINI.  This  gives  us  a  distinct  historical  name,  as  MEUTINI  can 
be  traced  to  MEUTHINI,  sometimes  used  in  the  form  MEUTHI,  the  name  of  an  ecclesiastic 
who  baptized  and  educated  St.  Cadoc." 


tTitbee  o\\  flDcnip  an^  Jflay  in  1704» 

(From  the    Waring  Manuscripts.) 
Communicated  by  the  Rev.   E.   D.  ATKINSON,  ll.b. 

I     A  Meinorial  of  y"  Deans,  Archdeacons,  and  Proctf  of  y^  Clergy 
Directed  to  y*"       of  y*;  K.  of  Ireland  Assembled  in  Convocation — 

Speaker  To  y^  Speaker  of  y"  Hon'''*'  house  of  Com'f  to  be  comunicat 

ed  to  y"  sd  House 
Whereas  heads  of  a  Bill  for  y^  Improvm|  of  y"  Hempen  &  flaxen  manu- 
factory of  this   Kingd.  are  brought  into  y*"  HonbP  H :  of  Comons,  where  in 

there  is  a  Clause  inserted  to  this  purpose  (viz.)  that  no  greater  sum  than 

per  Acre  &  P  in  proportion  for  \vl  shall  be  sown  be  paid  for  tythes  of  hemp 
or  flax  to  such  to  whom  y^  same  of  right  belongs ;  which  Clause  in  y':  Conse- 
quences thereof  we  aprehend  may  prove  very  prejudicial  to  y";  rights  and 
properties  of  yf  Clergy  of  this  Kingd  : — And  whereas  we  are  here  assembled 
to  represent  y";  Clergy,  and  are  intrusted  by  them  w'l'  the  case  of  their  rights 
as  well  Civil  as  Ecclesiastical — We  do  therefore  humbly  represent  unto 
y''  Honb'f  H :  of  Com'f  y!  the  freeholds  and  properties  of  yl  whole  Clergy  are 


TITHES    ON    HEMP    AND    FLAX    IN    1704.  IO9 

concerned  in  y';  s'!  Clause  &  do  also  humbly  desire  y\  the  s'?  Clause  may  not 
pass  in  y?  s'!  Bill  untill  our  reasons  w'l'  we  are  ready  to  offer  against  it  be 
first  heard.  S  :  Synge  Prolocut' 

from  y^  lower  House  of  Convocation  yt  20'.''  of  March  lyoi 

2  Replii      That    yl    house    of    Com"'    in    Parliam'    are    yf    true    and    only 

Representatives  &  intrusted  w'l'  Y  Civil  rights  and  properties  of  all 
yf  Com'I''  of  Ireland  as  well  Clergy  as  layety — 

That  no  person  or  body  of  men  w^soever  within  this  Realm  hath  or 
have  a  right  to  be  heard  against  y'^  Passing  any  Bill  or  Heads  of  a  Bill 
under  y^  Consideration  of  this  house  but  by  leave  first  obtained  from  this 
house  upon  y*:  Aplication  of  such  person  or  body  of  men  by  Petition  to 
this  house  &  not  otherwise. 

3  We    y"    Deans    Archdeacons    &    Proct'.'    of   y"'   lower    house     of    Convo- 

cation had  hopes  y'  y*"  lett'  w'l'  this  house  sent  to  y*"  Honb'f  H  :  of 
Com'?  on  y""  1  6'!'  ins'  would  have  sufificiently  explained  the  Memorial  sent 
to  y":  Speaker  y"'  lo'I'  ins|  But  since  we  are  informed  it  has  not  had  the 
effect  for  w'^l'  it  was  designed — We  therefore  crave  leave  to  explain  our 
selves  further  that  if  possible  all  sort  of  misunderstanding  may  be  wholy 
remov'd. 

We  asure  y!  Honb'f  house  that  our  meaning  in  y^  s''  Memorial  was  to 
express  that  we  in  y"  Convocaf!  represent  y"  infer'  Clergy  of  y''  Church  of 
Ire';'  in  matters  Ecclesiastical  &  y*  we  are  so  far  intrusted  with  y*"  care 
of  their  Civil  rights  as  to  be  obliged  by  suitable  aplications  to  y^  Legis- 
lative power  to  EndeaV:  the  preservat'l  of  y'''.  But  we  never  meant  thereby 
to  draw  in  (juestion  the  undoubted  right  of  that  Hon'^f  house  to  represent 
y"  Clergy  as  well  as  laiety  in  their  Civil  rights  and  properties.  And  we 
humbly  hope  y'  y'  Hon''.'"  house  will  preserve  to  yj"  Convocaf!  sole 
rights  &  privilidges  as  all  former  Convocaf;''  in  this  Kingd  :  since  y" 
Reformat'!  have   Enjoyed. 

If  in  our  application  we  have  not  pursued  proper  methods  it  is  hoped 
it  will  be  atributed  to  y";  long  interval  of  Convocations,  whereby  we 
have  been  depriv'd  of  y"  Benefit  of  Presidents  &  experience  upon  the 
occasions — 

And  having  thus  as  we  hope  given  satisfaction  to  y'  Hon''.'"  house 
(whose  zeal  for  y"  preservation  of  y^  Established  Church  we  have  often 
Experienced  &  do  gratefully  acknowledge)  we  humbly  desire  y'  hon"." 
house  to  lay  aside  their  resentm'f  and  y'  neither  y"  occasion  or  y"  effects 
of  y'"  may  any  longer  remain. 

By  order  of  yl  house 

from  y"  lower  house  of  S  :  Synge  Prolocut; 

Convocation  M"l'  19'!'  170I 


VOUiNG    CON    ONEALE'S    SCHOOL    BILL. 
By  Francis  Joseph  Bigger. 

INCE  I  wrote  the  notice  of  the  above  document,  vol.  iii.,  p.  140,  I  have 
received  several  communications  from  J.  Eliot  Hodgkin,  f.s.a.,  of 
Weybridge,  who  had  read  my  article  as  copied  into  the  Pall  Mall 
Gazelle,  and  he  informs  me  that  he  has  similar  Bills  from  Christmas 
till  Annunciation,  1617  ;  from  Annunciation  till  Midsomer,  1618  ;  from 
Midsomer  till  Michelmas,  1618  ;  from  Michelmas  till  Christmas,  1618  : 
from  Christmas  till  Annunciation,  1619.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the 
Bill  in  my  possession,  and  described  by  me,  would  come  in  before  the  first  Bill  above  noted, 
as  the  year  was  then  calculated  from  Annunciation.  How  it  became  separated  from  the 
others  is  remarkable,  as  J.  E.  Hodgkin  is  satisfied  his  documents  came  from  the 
Betham  and  Joly  collections.  He  has  also  some  original  MS.  directions  for  taking  Bonds 
for  ^2,000  from  Bryan  and  Con  O  Neale,  sons  of  Sir  Henry  Oge  O  Neale,  and  dated 
27  May,  1609.  The  letter  here  transcribed  from  "  R.  Willis"  "to  the  Hon'''  my  verie 
good  frend  John  Bingley  Esq"^*,"  refers  to  an  earlier  Bill  of  1615,  and  clearly  shows  the  care 
bestowed  upon  the  details  of  this  "hapless  youth's"  afiairs. 

S- 

I  send  yo"  with  the  new  byll  demaunded  for  Con  O  neale  for  michas  g"  last ;  the  former 
byll  which  I  borowed  of  yo"  for  rectyfying  an  errour  in  the  Upholsters  reckoning,  wlio  was 
paid  to  short  xx%  which  I  have  now  entered  in  the  foote  of  y'=  new  byll  together  with  \f  yds 
more,  which  was  omitted  in  the  silkmans  reckoning.  Yo"  may  please  to  lett  M'  Glover 
know  that  I  have  returned  the  old  byll  vnto  yo",  because  yo"  lately  inquired  for  it  ;  (X:  in 
the  paym'-  of  the  new  byll,  to  take  order  that  those  2  somes  of  xx^  &  xj^  yd.  may  be  stayd 
in  the  Tellers  hands  for  those  to  whome  the  same  is  due  :  &  hereafter  yo"  shall  be  troubled 
w"'  no  more  after  reckonings  of  this  sorte,  yt  I  can  help  it.  And  so  with  due  remembrance  of 
my  service  vnto  yo".  I  take  my  leave.  5  decemb.  161 5 
Endorsed.  At  yo"  comandemt, 

Mr.  Willys  the  concerning  Con  R.  WILLIS. 

O  Neale  the  Erie  of  Tyrones  Sonne. 

To  the  Ilon'^'  my  verie  good  frend 

John  Bingley  Esq''^-  

THE    HASSARD    FAMILY    OF    FERMANAGH. 
By  H.  S. 
As  an  addition  to  Lord   Belmore's  account  of  i\\&  Be/ham- Phillipps  MS.  in    your    last 
issue,  pp.  29-31,  the  following  extract  from  it,  regarding  the  Hassards,  may  be  of  interest. 
HASSARD    IN    FERMANAUGH. 
The  family  of  Hassard  are  of  considerable  antiqu'v  in  Ffermanagh   being   employed   by 
Sir  Will"'  Cole  in  ye  warrs  of  1641  in  preserveing  ye  Garrison  of  Iniskillin  and  Country  about 
it  dureing  ye  said   warrs  wherein  this  family  was  noted  to  be  forward  men  of  sound  judgm'" 
and  good  confidence.      The  chiefest  was  Jason  Hassard  Senior  who  was  Justice  of  peace  and 
publick  Treasurer  for  ye  county  dureing  his  time  and  soon  after  ye  warrs  aforesd  purchased  a 
pretty  handsome  Estate  in  Clinawly  Barrony  which  he  enjoyed  dureing  his  life  and  dyed  in 
ye  yeare   1690  haveing  lost  [  ?  left]  two  sons  under  age  to  succeed  ye  eldest  called   Robt.  & 
ye  second   Richard  but  being  very  young  when  their  father  dyed  soe  the  estate  &  all  other 


MISCELLANEA.  Ill 

efects  psonall  &  reall  were  left  to  ye  Administration  of  Jason  Hassard  *"  Junior  who  being 
brothers  son  to  ye  said  Jason  Hassard  Senior  Esq.  and  manager  for  his  said  uncle  for  many 
yeares  before  his  death  &  after  his  death  managed  w"'  such  prudence  that  he  was  soon 
made  Justice  of  the  peace  and  publick  treasur"  in  ye  County  and  still  to  this  present  time 
prosperous  in  all  his  undertakings  &  purchased  a  pretty  handsome  estate  in  Menterfodaghan 
besides  sev''ll  freehoulds,  and  leases  else  in  this  County,  keeps  a  great  stock  and  a  strong 
rich  tannyard,  a  remarkable  man  of  great  dealings  &  estimation  in  ye  commonwealth  he  is  a 
justice  of  ye  peace,  Captn  in  ye  Militia  &  Burgess  in  ye  Ci)rporation  of  Iniskillen,  his 
eldest  son<2)  Mr  Robt  is  high  shcriffe  in  this  County  for  this  ensueing  yeare  1719  he  is  also 
Cap"  in  ye  Militia  &  Burgess  in  ye  Corporation  aforesd  he  was  bred  Attorney  &  is  maried 
in  ye  family  of  King  daughter  to  Rev'end  Mr  Thomas  King  D.D.  &  brother  to  ye  remark- 
able Gent.  Mr.  Robt  King  who  was  one  of  ye  most  famous  of  his  calling  in  ye  4  Courts  of 
Dublin  his  dwelling  seate  is  called  Mount  Hassard  being  pte  of  his  own  free  Estate  descending 
to  him  by  inheritance  from  his  Grand  uncle  Jason  Hassard  Senior  Esq.  the  rest  of  whose 
estate  was  distributed  betweene  ye  two  young  sons  of  whom  I  spoke  of  when  they  came  to 
years  of  perfection,  ye  eldest  Mr.  Robt.  dyed  &  ye  youngest  Mr.  Richard  now  detains  a 
pretty  handsome  free  estate  in  the  Barrony  of  Clinawly  in  this  county  he  is  a  Burgess  in  the 
Corporation  &  a  man  of  good  ace'  for  h(Jhesty  &  civil  behaviour  as  are  the  rest  of  ye 
family  aforesaid  much  respected  &  beloved  for  their  civil  &  charitable  dispositions. 
Jason  Hassard  Esq.  base  2  other  young  sons  called  Will'"  &  Jason,  his  dwelling  seate  is 
Mulamesker,  a  freehould  of  S''  Michael  Coales  Estate. 

In  Lord  Belmore's  former  papers  are  several  references  to  the  above  Hassards,  also  in 
vol.  ii. ,  p.  205,  and  vol.  iii. ,  p.  208,  of  this  journal. 

The  will  of  Jason  Hassard,  Sen.,  of  Mullimesker,  High  Sheriff,  Co.  Fermanagh,  1676, 
was  dated  21  Oct.,  1690,  and  was  proved  15  April,  1692.  He  mentions  his  nephew  Jason 
Hasart  (sone  of  his  brother  William  Ilasart  deceast);  grandniece  Rose  Hassard;  son  Robert; 
son  Richard  ;  nephew  John,  son  of  Robert  Hasart  ;  brother  Robert  Hasart  and  his  wife 
Margaret  Hasart  ;  sister  Jeane  Hasart  ;  Alice  Hasart  ;  nephew  Samuell  Thomsone  ;  nephew 
John  Tomsone  ;  nephew  Robert  Nixon  ;  Margaret  Niocon,  als.  Hasart,  widow  ;  niece  Cicely 
Hasart,  als.  Wilsone  ;   Rebecca  Hasart,  als.  Nixon  ;  sister  Jeane  Hasart,  als.  Tomsone. 


RATHMORE    IN    MOVLINNE. 
By  John   J.   Marshall. 
The  following  additional  extract   bearing  on    Rathmore,   from    Adamnan's  Life  of  Si. 
Coluuiba,  edited  by  Bishop  Reeves,  will  assist  in  rendering  Captain   Berry's  account  of  this 
famous  old  stronghold  as  complete  as  possible  : 

"  As  the  battle  of  Cul-Dremhne  <^'  arose  in  part  from  a  religious  dispute  with  St.  Finnian, 
so  that  of  Cul-Rathain,  or  Coleraine,  is  described  as  the  result  of  a  quarrel  with  St.  Comgall 
of  Bangor.  The  modern  name  of  Ros-Torothair  is  not  known,  but  the  place  was  somewhere 
near  Coleraine  ;  and  it  is  very  possible  that  some  collision  did  take  place  between  the  saints 
about  jurisdiction,  as  St.  Comgall's  abbey  church  of  Camus  was  situated  close  to  Coleraine, 
and  St.  Columba  is  recorded  to  have  been  occasionally  in  that  neighljourhood.  Besides  the 
territory  west  of  Coleraine  was  the  debatable  ground  between  the  Dal-Araidhe,  St.  Comghall's 
kinsmen,  and  the  Hy-Neill,  of  St.  Columba's  tribe.  Fiachna,  son  of  Baedan,  with 
kinsmen  of  the  Clanna-Rudhraighe,  are  described  as  the  belligerents  on  the  Dalaradian  side. 
Now  this  Fiachna  was  lord  of  Dalaradia,  and  is  spoken  of  in  the  life  of  St.  Comgall  as 
residing  at  Rath-mor,  in  Moylinny  (the  moat  of  Donegore,  county  of  Antrim),  and  a  devoted 

friend  of  the  Saint That  the  battle  of  Cul-Rathain,  though  not  recorded  in  the 

Annals,  was  fought, — that  he  was  a  leader  therein, — and  that  it  took  place  in  consequence  of 
the  jealousies  of  the  Dalaradians  and  the  Hy-Neill,  quickened  into  action  by  the  influence  of 

(1)  Ancestor  of  Robert  Hassard,  now  of  Desertcreat,  Dung.innon. 

(2)  The  present  representative  of  Capt.  Robert  Hassard  (through  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Kane),  is  Lord 
kathdonnell.     See  vol.  iii.,  p.  208. 

(3)  In  present  Co.  Sligo. 


112  NOTES    AND    QUERIES. 

their  respective  arch-ecclesiastics,  is  extremely  probable  ;  only  it  was  a  military  event  which 
fo!lo:ved,  noi  preceded,  St.  Columba's  settlement  in  Hy  (lona)." 


IRISH    BOG    BUTTER. 
By  P^rancis  Joseph  Bigger. 

The  frequent  finding  of  butter  in  Irish  bogs  is  not  peculiar  to  this  country,  as  will  be  seen 
by  the  following  extract  from  Where  Three  Empires  A/irf/ (Longmans,  Green  &  Co.,  1896), 
page  489,  by  E.  F.  Knight.  The  country  referred  to  is  the  Hunza  Valley  in  Tibet,  and  it 
is  quite  possible  the  Irish  buried  their  butter  for  similar  reasons  to  those  given  by  these  old 
conservative  Buddhists. 

"The  ghee  here— like  all  that  was  given  to  us  in  tjie  valley — was  of  the  consistence  of 
cheese,  had  a  most  unpleasant  odour,  and,  according  to  our  ideas,  it  did  not  improve  the 
flavour  of  food  that  was  cooked  with  it.  The  older  this  so-called  clarified  butter  is,  the  more 
is  it  to  the  taste  of  these  highlanders.  They  bury  it  in  holes  in  the  ground,  and  it  is  often 
kept  there  for  generations  before  it  is  raised  :  one  hundred  years  being  quite  an  ordinary  age 
for  Hunza  ghee.  These  people  like  their  butter  to  be  stale  and  their  wine  to  be  new,  and 
would  no  doubt  consider  us  coarse  barbarians  were  they  aware  of  our  exactly  opposite 
preferences.  The  men  of  Atabad  supplied  our  sepoys  with  a  very  fine  old  brand  of  ghee — 
capital  stuff  to  keep  the  cold  out  !  It  was  exhumed  in  balls  of  about  ten  pounds  weight  each, 
packed  in  leaves  and  grass." 


THE  MIGRATION  OF  THE  ARYANS. 
By  Rev.  Charles  Scott,  m.a. 
On  the  interesting  subject  of  the  "  Evolution  of  the  Aryan,"  a  remarkable  book  has  been 
published  under  this  title.  It  is  by  Von  Ihering,  a  professor  of  Roman  Law ,  who  devoted 
much  of  his  spare  time  to  the  study  of  Primitive  law,  history,  and  institutions  of  the  Aryan 
race.  It  has  been  translated  from  the  German  by  A.  Drueker,  M.P.  Von  Ihering,  from  a 
study  of  early  Roman  customs  and  the  evidence  of  philology,  has  arrived  at  certain  facts  of 
great  interest  with  regard  to  the  condition  of  the  Aryan  mother-nation.  It  was  ignorant  of 
agriculture,  was  a  pastoral  nation,  was  settled  and  very  populous,  knew  neither  towns  nor  stone 
houses,  was  unacquainted  with  metal  working,  and  had  a  very  primitive  and  low  stage  of  legal 
development.  He  considers  that  the  populousness  of  the  nation  made  it  necessary  for  its 
younger  members  from  time  to  time  to  hive  off ;  that  they  did  this  in  the  following  order 
towards  the  west  :  the  Greek  first  ;  then  the  Latin,  Celt,  Teuton  ;  and  tiie  Slav-hive  last.  He 
shows  that  the  young  race  migrated  in  spring  on  the  1st  March,  and  moved  on  until  the  end 
of  June,  stopping  in  the  march  during  summer  and  winter.  The  steps  by  which  he  arrives  at 
these  conclusions  are  most  interesting.  He  only  seems  to  be  acquainted  with  the  Celts  as 
they  appear  in  Roman  writers.  Had  he  been  able  to  investigate  the  Breton  laws  and  Irish 
traditions,  he  would  have  found  Aryan  people  still  pastoral,  without  cities,  and  using  wood 
for  building  ;  and  he  would  have  found,  no  doubt,  many  points  in  which  he  would  have  been 
able  to  support  the  theories  he  had  arrived  at.  With  the  material  at  his  command  he  has 
done  wonders,  and  his  book  is  one  that  must  be  taken  account  of  by  every  one  who  wishes  to 
study  the  primitive  history  of  the  early  European  peoples. 


Botes  anb  (Siiieuies* 

This  column  is  open  to  readc)  s  desirous  of  ol'fainin!^  or  imparting  tn/ormalion  on  questions  of 
interest  and  obscure  points  of  historical  lore  relating  to  the  district. 

(Siucriee. 

Fourth  Presbyterian  Congregation.  Belfast,  and  the  Bryson  Family.— 

Has  any  reader  of  this  journal  a  drawing  or   print  of  the   old    Meeling-house  in   Donegall 
Street,  as  it  appeared  prior  to  the  erection  of  the  plaster  y<Taj:</(r  and  tower  in    1842?     The 


REVIEWS    OF    BOOKS. 


113 


older  part  was  erected  in  1792  for  the  Reverend  James  Bryson  (wrongly  called  Hugh  in 
the  little  history  of  the  Congregation).  He  dedicated  a  volume  of  sermons  to  his  kinsman, 
the  Reverend  William  Hryson  of  Antrim,  whose  unfortunate  son  wrote  the  Trinity  College 
Prize  Poem  in  1809,  which  was  partly  reprinted  in  the  No>iher>i  ll'/n'i;  of  17  June,  1887, 
with  notes  by  W.  H.  Malcolm.      He  also  published  a  volume  of  poems,  Dublin,  1812. 

F.  J.  B. 
"  C  S."  (vol.  v.,  p.  58),  quoting  from  T/te  Sro^s  IVorthies,  refers  to  the  "  burning"  of  a 
girl  from  Glenwherry  at  Carrickfergus,  for  child  murder,  in  1682,  and  asks  if  the  "burning" 
was  branding  merely  or  actual  burning  at  the  stake.  Of  the  Clenvviierry  case  I  cannot  speak, 
but,  bearing  on  the  point  raised,  there  is  the  record  of  the  burning  at  the  slake  of  Cicely 
Jackson,  in  the  city  of  Derry,  for  child  murder  — killing  her  illegitimate  infant— so  late  as  1725. 
(  Vide  old  records  ;  also,  abstract  of  same  in  Ordnance  Survey. ) 

William  Roddy,  m.j.i.,  Derry. 


Bnswcrs  to  (SIucriC6. 

The  PhysieO  HiStOrieal  Society. —in  reply  to  query,  vol.  v.,  page  58.  The 
minute-book— one  volume— of  this  Society  is  in  the  possession  of  the  Royal  Irish  Academy. 
The  first  meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  on  14  April,  1744,  and  the  last  recorded  on 
22  March,  1752.  Smith's  histories  of  Waterford  and  Cork  and  Simon's  History  of  Irish 
Coins  were  undertaken  and  published  under  its  auspices,  and  A  'four  through  I?  eland  by 
Two  English  Gentlemen,  published  in  1746,  was  dedicated  to  its  members.  Smith's  Historv 
of  Kerry,  although  designed  during  the  existence  of  the  Society,  was  not  published  until  1756, 
when,  as  he  says  in  the  preface,  the  meetings  of  the  Society  had  been  long  discontinued. 
Wright's  Louthiana  was  published  in  1748,  but  there  is  no  mention  of  the  Society  in  the 
preface.  Some  information  about  the  Society  and  its  supporters  will  be  found  in  a  pa[)er  of 
mine  on  "  Mount  Merrion,  and  its  History,"  in  the  December  (1898)  number  of  the  Journal 
of  the  Royal  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Ireland. 

F.  Elrington  Ball,  m.r.i.a. 


IReviews  of  Boohs, 


Pttblications  having  any  bearing  upon  local  matters,  or  upo?i  Irish  or  general  Antiquarian 

subjects,  will  be  reviewed  in  this  colutnn. 

Books  or  Articles  for  Review  to  be  sent  to  the  Editor. 


The  Auld   Meetin'-Hoose    Green.       By   Archibald    M'llroy.       Belfast:    M'Caw,   Stevenson 
&  Orr,  Ltd.      1898.      Price  4/6. 

The  "Kail-yaird"  story  has  lately  had  a  prominent  place  given  to  it  in  our  fiction,  and 
we  have  no  hesitation  in  placing  this  volume  amongst  the  best  of  this  class.  The  writer  verily 
persuades  us  that  every  chapter  is  a  true  story,  such  simple  persuasive  language  does  he  use, 
mingled  with  much  pathos  and  true  human  feeling.  Many  of  the  chapters  are  perfect  idylls 
of  Ulster  rural  life  of  the  Scottish  type,  and  are  portrayed  with  life-like  distinctness — every 
foible,  whim,  or  prejudice  of  a  peculiar  people  with  strong  racial  characteristics  are  photo- 
graphed, as  it  were,  and  truly  placed  on  the  screen  before  us.  We  feel  assured  that  this 
book  will  be  read  and  valued  throughout  Ulster,  more  especially  as  it  truthfully  places  on 
record  for  all  time  the  habits  and  customs,  ways  and  behefs,  of  our  Ulster  Presbyterianism, 
many  of  which  are  now  fast  dying  out,  or  being  altered  and  assimilated  by  modern  city  life, 
losing  all  the  old-world  distinctiveness  that  many  will  regret,  and  few  be  aware  of,  in  the 
coming  years.  This  book  will  maintain  the  position  of  the  writer  of  When  lint  was  in  the 
Bell,  and  further  establish  his  claim  to  be  considered  the  Ian  Maclaren  of  Ulster. 


DONAGHCLONEY    PARISH    ChURCH,    WaRINGSTOWN. 


An  Ulster  Parish  :  being  a  History  of  Donaghcloiiey  I  IVaringstown),  Co.  Doiun.  By  the 
Rev.  Edward  Duprt-  Atkinson,  ll. b.,  Rector  of  Donaghcloney.  Dublin:  Hodges, 
Figgis  &  Co.,  Ltd.  1898.  Price  2/6. 
The  late  Rev.  Dr.  Stokes  was  strongly  of  opinion  that  every  rector  should  write  the  history 
of  his  parish,  and  every  Presbyterian  minister  the  records  of  his  congregation.  This  has  been 
well  done  for  Donaghcloney.  The  absence  of  any  ancient  history  has  very  much  simplified 
the  work,  and  has  left  room  for  an  exhaustive  treatment  of  the  more  modern  records  of  the 
parish.  The  Waring  family,  the  patrons  of  the  church,  naturally  occupy  a  prominent 
place  in  its  pages  ;  whilst  their  predecessors,  as  landowners  (the  Magennises),  vie  with  them 
in  the  stirring  events  of  the  seventeenth  century,  as  they  also  appear  to  have  done  in  a  more 
tangible  way,  at  the  same  period,  in  the  actual  occupation  of  the  demesne  and  lands.  The 
story  of  the  varying  fortunes  of  these  two  houses — first  in  1641,  and  again  in  1688 — is  a  truly 
remarkable  one,  savouring  much  of  the  romantic.  Other  chapters  dealt  with  are  the  Linen 
Industry,  Topographical  Account,  Parish  Gleanings,  etc.  The  book  is  excellently  illustrated 
by  views  of  the  church,  etc.,  and  all  the  burial  inscriptions  are  carefully  given,  which  is  in 
itself  a  very  valuable  record,  and  work  that  should  be  encouraged  by  all  who  have  the  care 
of  our  churchyards.  The  book  reflects  the  greatest  credit  on  its  learned  writer.  It  will,  we 
trust,  be  followed  by  others,  until  all  our  parishes  have  their  own  individual  records. 

*        *        *        >f: 
In  the  Valleys  of  South  Down.     l?y  Athene.     Belfast:   M 'Caw,  Stevenson  \  Orr,  Ltd.     1898. 

Price  2/  . 
The  reader  who  might  select  this  book  as  a  topograpliical  guitlc  woidd  be  disappointed  in 
one  way,  and  pleased  in  another.  Instead  of  a  guide,  he  peruses  a  quiet  homely  narrative 
of  County  Down  people,  told  with  a  simplicity  not  usual  nowadays.  The  local  colouring 
enhances  the  book,  an<l  bri.!.;htens  a  narrative  that  might  otherwise  be  considered  by  some 
dull  reading. 


Hugh  O'Neh.l,  Baron  of  Duxgannon. 

Sou  of    Hugh  O'Neill,   Eai-I  of  Tyrone. 

Sailed  from   Lough   Swilly   14  Septenil^er,   1607. 

Buried  in  San   Pietro  in   Montorio,    Rome,   24  September, 

Aged  24  years. 

'■>v)/i  an  Or,\r,„„/  Po'li-ait  (hitherto  tiiipiihlishf.f I  in  Sni:  Isidor. 

Plioto.  by  Frederic  Charles  niis^'er. 


ULSTER  JOURNAL 

OF 

ARCHiEOLOGY 


Vol.  V. 


MAY, 


No. 


<rbe  3ri6b  in  1Rome  in  tbc  Seventeenth  Century. 

By  FRANCIS  JOSEPH   BIGGER,  m.r.i.a. 

HEN  in  Italy  last  year  with  my  brother,  we  spent  some 
time  visiting  the  places  in  Rome  sacred  to  Irishmen, 
particularly  the  Irish  College,  San  Pietro  in  Montorio,  and 
the  Franciscan  house  of  San  Isidoro.  The  first  is  a  new 
foundation,  dating  from  1835  (the  original  Irish  College 
for  secular  priests,  founded  by  Cardinal  Ludovisi  and  Luke  Wadding  in 
1627-1628,  having  been  situate  near  the  Piazza  Barberini),  but  contains  within 


Irish  Coi.i.ec.e  and  Church  of  Saint  Agatha,  Rome. 

rhoto.from   ^amt  Pele'S  Magazine. 

its  cloistered  walls  several  Irish  portraits,  including  those  of  Oliver  Plunket 
and  Colgan.     The  former  received  part  of  his  education  in  the  old  foundation. 


ii6 


THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 


In  the  chapel  is  also  enshrined  the  heart  of  Daniel  O'Connell.  Monsignor 
Kelly  was  very  courteous  and  kind  to  us,  and  gave  every  facility  to  photograph 
the  different  treasures  of  the  house  of  which 
he  is  the  worthy  head;  and  in  other  matters 
helped  to  make  our  visit  to  the  Eternal  City 
pleasant  and  profitable.*^' 

San  Pietro  in  Montorio  is  a  place  not 
easily  forgotten.  Of  the  church  itself,  it  can 
only  be  said  that  it  resembles  dozens  of 
others  in  Rome,  and  is  not  distinctly  beauti- 
ful; but  to  the  Irish  visitor  the  palm  is  borne 
away  by  its  historic  associations.  Here  it  is 
believed  the  apostle  Saint  Peter  was  crucified, 
and  Bramante's  famed  circular  Doric  temple, 
beside  the  church,  was  erected  (1499- 1502) 
to  mark  the  spot ;  but  within  the  walls,  in 
die  dim  nave,  repose  the  remains  of  the 
princely  O'Neills  and  O'Donnells,  their 
followers  and  friends,  refugees  from  Ireland 
in  the  reign  of  James  I.  The  task  of 
describing  the  last  days  of  these  chieftains 
has  been  exhaustively  done  by  the  Rev.  C. 
P.  Meehan  in  his  Fate  and  Fortunes  of  the 
Earls  of  Tyrone  and  Tyrconnell,  and  only  a 
few  fragments  remain  to  be  gathered  together. 
The  tombs  of  the  earls  are  on  the  left-hand 
side  of  the  church  as  you  enter,  about  half-way  up  the  nave  (churches  are 
not  built  east  and  west  in  Rome),  and  are  marked  by  two  large  inlaid  marble 
slabs,  their  heads  to  the  altar,  as  depicted  in  the  illustration  on  page  118.  The 
present  monuments  were  restored  chiefly  by  the  late  Earl  of  Charlemont, 
who  defrayed  more  than  half  the  cost,  in  1843,  and  subsequently  repaired 
in  1848,  after  having  been  injured  in  the  siege  of  Rome. 

Roderick  O'Donnell,  Earl  of  Tyrconnell,  died  a  year  after  his  arrival  in 
Rome — viz.,  30  July,  1608 — and  was  followed  to  the  grave,  in  the  same  year, 
by  his  brother  Cathbar,  on  the  15  September;  and  soon  afterwards  by  his 
secretary,  Matthew  O'Multully,  and  his  physician,  O'Carroll  of  Moydristan, 
all  of  whom  were  buried  in  the  Montorio. 

Hugh  O'Neill,  Earl  of  Tyrone,  was  the  last  to  be  buried  in  Montorio  of 
that  little  band  of  Ulster  chieftains  who  sailed  from  Lough  Swilly  on  the 
14  September,  1607,  to  escape  the  wiles  of  Sir  Arthur  Chichester,  who  hated 

(1)  There  is  an  excellent  paper  on  the  Irish  College  at  Rome,  by  the  Bishop  of  Canea,  in  Saint  Peter  s 
for  April,  1899. 


Tomb  of  the  Hkari 
IN  THE  Church  o 

From  a  Pkoh 


OF  Daniel  O'Connell 
■  S.  Agatha,  Rome. 

by  F.  C.  Biff^-er. 


THE  IRISH  IN  ROME  IN  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY.        I  17 

them  with  an  intensity  only  equalled  by  the  covetous  love  he  bore  for  the 
lands  they  possessed.  He  died  on  the  20  July,  16 16,  and  his  monument  bore 
the  simple  inscription  : 

D.  O.  M. 

HIC  QUIESCUNT 

UGONIS,  PRINCIPIS,  O'NEILL 

OSSA. 

[To  the  Most  Excellent  and    High  God. 

Mere  rest 

The  bones 

Of  Hugh,  Prince  O'Neill.! 

This  slab  cannot  now  be  seen;  it  was,  doubtless,  destroyed  or  misplaced 
at  the  restoration  referred  to. 

The  following  is  an   English  translation  of  the  inscriptions  given  on  the 
the  two  slabs,  which  are  accurately  reproduced  in  the  illustration  from  photos 
by  my  brother,  and   from  a  drawing  made  on  the  spot  by  the  late  Earl  of 
Charlemont.     The  O'Donnell  slab  reads  as  follows: 
To  the  Most  ExcelkiU  High  God. 

To  Roderick,  Prince  O'Donnell, 

Earl  of  Tyrconnell  in  Ireland, 

Who,  for  the  Catholic  Religion, 

Underwent  the  gravest  dangers. 

Alike  in  the  soldier's  cloak  and  in  the  toga, 

A  most  constant  observer  and  defender 

Of  the  Apostolic  Roman  faith. 

For  protecting  and  preserving  which, 

From  his  country  a  fugitive, 

Having  surveyed  the  principal  monuments  of  the  Saints 

In  Italy,  France,  and  Belgium, 

And  there  been  received  with  the  singular  love  and  honour 

Of  Christian  Princes,  • 

Also  with  the  paternal  affection 

Of  the  most  holy  Father,  and  Lord,  Pope  Paul  V., 

Amidst  the  greatest  prayers  of  the  Catholics 

For  his  happy  return 

He  brought  supreme  sorrow  to  his, 

And  grief  to  all  orders  in  this  city. 

By  untimely  death,  which  he  underwent  on  the  3rd  of  the  Kalends  of  August, 

In  the  year  of  Salvation  1608,  in  the  33rd  of  his  Age. 

Whom  there  soon  followed  in  the  same  path, 

That  with  him  he  might  enjoy  the  same  happiness, 

Calfurnius,  his  brother. 

The  companion  of  his  dangers  and  exile. 

In  sovereign  hope  and  the  expectation  of  good  things. 

From  his  nobility  of  mind, 

Which  virtue  and  the  greatest  towardliness  adorned, 

He  left  desire  of  himself  and  sadness  to  his  fellow-exiles, 

On  the  i8th  of  the  Kalends  of  October  next  following, 

In  the  25th  year  of  his  Age. 


ii8 


THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 


HVGONI BARONI DE  DONG  AN  AN 
HVGONISMAGNI  ONELLI  PRIKCIFIS 

ETC0MITI5  TIRCONiytPRIMOGENITO 

PATREM  ET  RODERICVM  COMITEM 

TlRCONALLlvt  ANA/NCVLVM  PRO 

FIDE  CATHOLICA  QVAM  MVLTOS  ANN05 

CONTRA  H/LRETICOSINHYBERNIA 

FORTITER  DEFENDERANTRELICTI5 

STATIBVSSVIS  SPONTE  EXVLANTES  AD 

COMVNEM  CATHOLICOB  AXILVM  VRBEM 

ROMAM  PRO  SVA  SINGVLARI  IN  DEVM  ET 

PARENTES  PIETATE  SEQWNTO  CVIVS 

IM^UTVRA  MORS  SPEM   DE  EO 

RESTAVRAND/L  ALIQVANDO  IN  ILLIS 

PARTIBVS  CATHOLIOt   RELIGIONIS   OB 

EIVS-mSIGNES  ANIMI  ET  CORPORIS  DOTES 

AB  OMNIBVS  CONCEPTAM  ABSTVLIT  AC 

DICTORODERICOAWNCVLOFATO  SIMILI 

ABSVMPTO   CONIVNXIT 


OCCIDIT  TAM   WIS  QVAMTOTl  CVRIA. 
FL.^BILIS    NONO  KALOCT  ■  MDCIX 

A.TAT1S   SV/bXXIIII 


M 


RODERICO  PRINCIPI  ODONALLIO 
COMITl  TIRCONALLIAE  INHYBEKNIA 

QVIPRO  RELICIONE  CATHOLICA 
.ORAVISSIMIS  DEFVNCTVS    PERICVLIS 

JN  SAGO  PARITER  ET  IN  TOGA 

CONSTANTISSIMVS  CVLTOR   ET    DEFENSOR 

APOSTOLIC/L  ROMAN/t  FIDEI 

proqva  tvenda  et  c0n5ervanda  e  patriaprofvgvs 

lvstratis  in  italia  gallia  belgio 

pr^jcipvis  sanctorvm  monvmentis 

atq- iridem  principvm  cristianorvm 

sincvlari  amore  et  honore 

SANCTISSETIAM  PACD  PAVLl  PPV 

PATERNO  AFFECTV  SVSCEPTVS 
IN  MAXIMIS  CATHOLiCORVM  VOTIS    DEFELICI  EIVSREDITV 
•I-  SVMMVMDOlOREM    ATTVLIT    SVIS 

ET  MQLROREM   OMNIBVS   IN  HAC  VBBE  ORDINIBVS 
IMMATVRAMORTEQVAM  OBIIT  III  KALENDAS     SEXTILES 
ANNO  SALVTIS  MDCVIll   -^TATIS  SVA.  XXXIlI  1 

QVAM   MOX  SECVRVS  EODEMTRAMITE  | 

VT    EADEM    CVM  BEATITATE    FRVERETVR  j 

CALFVRNa'S  PRATER 

PERICVLORVM   ET    EXILIl    SOCIVS 
IN  SVMMASPE  ET  EXPECTATIONE  BONORVM 

DE  EIV5    NOBILITATE    AMIMI  I 

QVAM  V1RTV5    ET  OPTIMA  INDOLES  EXCRNAVIT 

SVI  RELIQVIT  DE5IDER1VM  ET  ^A>tSTITIAM  COEXVLIBVS 

XVlll  KALOCT  PROXIME  SEQVENTl  ANNOtTATIS   XXV 

VTRVNQVE  AK'TECESSIT  ALTATE  ET  FAT  I   ORDINE 

PRATER    PRIMOCENITVS 

HVGO  PRINCEPS 

Q\-EM  PIE  ET  CATHOLICE  PRO  FIDE  ET  PATRU  COC.ITANTE 

PHILIPPVS  III  HISPANIARVM  REX 

ET  VIVVM  BENEVOLE  AMPLEX\'S  ET  IN  VIRIDI   ALT  ATE 

MORTVVM    HONORIFICE   FVNERANDX'M    CVRAVIT 
\ALLISOLETI  IN  HISPANIA   lUl    IDOS    SEPTEMB  AS   MDCII 


Tomb  of  the  Earls,  San  Pietro  in  Montorio,  Rome. 

(Hitherto  unpublished.) 

Facsimile  from  Dra7oiHg  by  the  late  Earl  of  Charlemont,  and  Photo,  by  Frederic  CItarlei  Bigse 


THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY.  II9 

There  went  before  both,  in  age  and  the  order  of  fate, 

Their  eldest  brother. 

Prince  Hugh, 

Whom,  as  one  designing  piously  and  CathoHcally  for  Faith  and  Fatherland, 

Philip  III.,  King  of  Spain, 

Affectionately  embraced  while  living, 

And  took  care  to  bury  honourably  when  dead,  in  his  green  age. 

At  Valladolid  in  Spain,  the  4th  of  the  Ides  of  September, 

In  the  year  of  Salvation  1602. 


The  O'Neill  monument  reads  as  follows  : 

To  the  Most  Excellent  High  God. 

To  Hugh,  Baron  of  Dungannon — 

Eldest  son  of  Hugh  O'Neill  the  Great, 

Prince  and  Earl  of  Tyrone — 

Who,  for  singular  piety  towards  God  and  his  parents, 

Followed  his  Father  and  Roderick,  Earl  of  Tyrconnell,  his  Uncle, 

For  the  Catholic  Faith,  which  for  many  years. 

Against  the  heretics  in  Ireland, 

They  bravely  defended, 

To  the  Conmion  Asylum  of  Catholics — the  City  of  Rome  ; 

Whose  untimely  death 

Destroyed  the  hope  conceived  of  him  by  all. 

On  account  of  his  remarkable  endowments  of  mind  and  body. 

Of  at  some  time  restoring  the  Catholic  Religion  in  those  parts, 

And  united  him  to  the  said  Roderick,  his  Uncle, 

Carried  off  by  the  same  fate, 

On  the  9th  of  the  Kalends  of  October,  1609, 

In  the  24th  of  his  Age. 

Hugh  O'Neill  had  followed  to  the  grave  his  son  Hugh,  Baron  of  Dun- 
gannon, a  youth  in  his  25th  year,  who  had  been  buried  on  the  24  September, 
1609.  A  year  later  saw  his  son  Bernard  assassinated  at  Brussels;  whilst  his 
youngest  son  Con,  who  had  been  left  behind  in  Ireland,  a  short  time  after 
his  father's  death,  ended  his  days — how  we  know  not — in  the  Tower  of 
London.'^' 

Eugene  Matthews  [MacMahon],  Bishop  of  Clogher  (1609),  and  afterwards 
Archbishop  of  Dublin  (161 1),  was  buried  beside  the  O'Neills  and  O'Donnells, 
in  August,  1623.  He  founded  the  Irish  Pastoral  College  at  Louvain,  and 
contributed  to  its  support. 

San  Pietro  in  Montorio  was  originally  built  by  Constantine,  and  restored 
by  Bacio  PinteUi,  or  Mio  del  Caprino,  for  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  and  placed 
by  these  sovereigns  in  the  hands  of  the  Franciscans;  its  walls  being  decorated 
by  Fra  Sebastiano  del  Piombo,  and  its  great  altar-piece,  the  Transfiguration, 
painted  by  Raffaello.  The  winding  avenue  up  the  Janiculum,  and  the  great 
piazza  in  front,  with  the  glistening  fountains,  were  also  made  by  Spanish 
gold. 

(1)  See  paper  by  the  writer  in  this  journal,  vol.  iii.,  p.  140. 


I20  THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 

All  Rome  lies  at  the  foot  of  the  Montorio;  and  what  a  sight  that  is  to 
Northern  eyes  !  Towers  and  domes,  palaces  and  squares,  stretch  away  to  the 
north,  whilst  to  the  left  stand  the  Vatican  and  the  Papal  gardens,  with  Saint 
Peter's  high  over  all,  and  father  Tiber  flowing  near  at  hand.  The  colossal 
equestrian  statue  of  Garibaldi  stands  close  by,  clear  cut  against  the  blue  Italian 
sky.  Few  of  the  thousands  who  visit  Rome  ever  enter  the  old  church,  or 
know  that  Ulster's  chieftains  slumber  there,  but  satiate  themselves  with  the 
view  from  the  terrace  :  and  none  but  an  Irishman  would  blame  them. 

San  Pietro  in  Montorio  was  the  titular  church  of  Cardinal  Cullen,  and 
had  a  narrow  escape  from  demolition,  during  the  French  investment  of  Rome, 
in  1849.     The  campanile  and  tribune  were  almost  entirely  destroyed. 


COLLECIUM    S.     ISIDORI    DE    URBE    ROMAE. 

I''nndatu>n  anno  Christi  1625. 

Instnuratum  nnno  iSgo. 


At  the  dissolution  of  the  religious  houses  after  the  unification  of  Italy, 
the  Spanish  crown  claimed  San  Pietro,  and  their  claim  was  allowed  ;  and 
since  then  many  of  its  valuables  have  been  removed  to  Spain.  Only  a  few 
Franciscans  are  now  within  its  walls ;  none  of  Irish  birth  ;  nor  do  any  of  them 
know  much  of  their  sacred  charge.  The  setting  sun  streams  in  from  the 
high  windows  across  the  marble  floor,  gilding  the  names  of  O'Neill  and 
O'Donnell,  whilst  solitary  worshippers  move  from  altar  to  altar,  and  the  monks 


THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 


chant  their  evensong  from  the  shadowy  apse ;  and   Irish   bones  mingle  with 
ItaHan  earth.     Of  O'Neill,  the  poet  says  : 

He  died  ;  Rome  keeps  his  ashes  evermore. 
Of  all  his  greatness  but  his  tomb  remains — 

A  fragment  wreck  upon  a  sainted  shore. 

The  dawn  breaks  and  the  golden  evening  wanes 

Down  crypt  and  aisle,  and  folds  its  splendour  o'er 
The  sepulchres  abloom  with  tender  stains — 

The  holy  monuments,  within  whose  space, 

Inurned,  repose  the  chieftain  of  our  race. 
San  Isidoro's  is  almost  unique  in  Rome,  being  one  of  the  few  ancient 
religious  houses  still  in  the  occupation  of  a  community,  all  the  others  having 
been  taken  over  by  the 
State,  and  used  for  secular 
purposes.  By  the  irony 
of  fate,  England  preserved 
San  Isidoro  —  this,  the 
home  of  Irish  refugees, 
outlaws,  and  traitors  to 
Jacobean  England  ;  the 
place  noted  and  marked  for 
years  by  Government  spies, 
lay  and  clerical,  whose  re- 
ports to  London  filled  with 
fear  those  who  had  been 
instrumental  in  driving  its 
occupants  from  their  native 
land.  Two  hundred  and 
fifty  years  have  passed,  and 
the  flag  of  that  same  Eng- 
land covered  the  walls  of 
San  Isidoro,  and  said  to 
the  Italian  on  his  own  soil, 
"hands  off!"  Strange 
things  have  happened  in 
the  history  of  peoples,  but 
nothing  stranger  than  this. 
The  visitor  from  Ireland 
may  now  walk  along  the 
cloisters  and  the  great  hall, 
with  its  frescoed  walls  depicting  the  forms  of  Hugh  MacCaghwell,Luke  Wadding, 
Florence  Conry,  John  Colgan,'"  and  many  others  whose  names  and  works  are 

(1)  Colgan  was  born  in  1592  at  Carn,  Inisowen,  Co.  Donegal.  He  died  at  Louvain  in  1658,  leaving 
behind  him  many  unpublished  works,  long  preserved  at  San  Isidoro.  His  Ac/a  SS.  Bid.  was  published  at 
Louvain  in    164=;,  and  his   J'rias  Tliatiinatnrga  in   1647. 


John  Colgan. 

Pra;servata 
Vixit  apostolice  docuit  Patriosque  Beatos 
acta  dedit  Colgan  et  monumenta  typis 

Preserved. 
He  lived  apostolically,  he  taught  Blessed  men  of  his  Country. 
Colgan  gave  acts  and  monuments  to  type. 

Photo.  0/ a  fresco  in  the  Aula  Maxima,  San  Isidoro. 


122  THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 

familiar  to  us,  or  wander  through  the  dim  chapel  over  graves  of  countless 
Irish  dead — bishops  and  archbishops,  who  never  saw  their  sees,  whose  very 
consecration  was  a  sure  passport  to  the  scaffold  had  they  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  their  enemies. 


^k^r 


O'Neill's  Sword,  preserved  in  San  Isidoro,  Romi 

/'/jD/o.  />.!'  F.  C.  Jlix'jf^r. 


What 
Anthony, 
his  house. 
Baron  of 
Wadding, 
placed  in 


a  pleasure  it  was  to  be  shown  over  such  classic  ground  by  Father 
a  County  Clare  man,  who  delighted  to  tell  the  wonderful  stories  of 
Here  are  preserved  O'Neill's  sword  and  the  portrait  of  the  young 
Dungannon,  with  his  sad,  effeminate  face.  The  bones  of  Luke 
the  founder  of  the  house,  have  been  removed  from  the  church,  and 
a  carved  sarcophagus  in  a  little  oratory  by  themselves. 

San  Isidoro's  was  originally 
a  hospital,  or  house  of  recep- 
tion, belonging  to  the  Dis- 
calced  Franciscans  of  the 
Spanish  nation.  This  was 
bought  by  Luke  Wadding, 
with  the  consent  of  the  Pope 
and  the  General  of  his  Order, 
along  with  a  church  dedicated 
to  San  Isidoro,  and  here  he 
erected  his  college.  He  en- 
larged the  church  with  six 
chapels,  and  furnished  the 
college  with  a  library  of  5,000 
books  and  about  800  MSS., 
being  assisted  in  the  work  by 
the  munificence  of  Cardinal 
Ludovico  Ludovisi,  Gregory 
XV. 's  nephew  (the  Cardinal 
Protector  of  Ireland),  and  a 
number  of  wealthy  Romans. 
Wadding  drew  up  a  body  of 
constitutions  for  the  college, 
which  were  confirmed  by  a 
Bull  of  Urban  VHI.  He 
then  invited  Irish  Franciscans 
from   Spain,    Flanders,   Germany,  and    elsewhere   to  come   there   and    study. 


OssA  VVaddinci  Colle(;i 

FUNDATORIS. 

The   Hones  of  W.-»d(.liiis,   the   Foun 

der  of  the  College 

/'/la/o.  of  the  Toinh  or  I.nke  tFadUiii 

,^  i„    S.,„   lu.loro. 

THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY.  1 23 

The  college  was   opened   24   June,    1625,  as    Brenan    states.       Ecclesiastical 
History  of  Ireland,  pp.  524,  525.      Dublin,  1864. 

Wadding  was  himself  the  first  guardian  of  his  foundation.  Father  Anthony 
Hickey,  a  native  of  Clare,  was  the  first  divinity  lecturer;  Father  Martin  Walsh, 
a  Waterford  man,  the  second.  Walsh  subsequently  became  guardian.  In 
pliilosophy,  the  first  lecturers  were  the  celebrated  Father  Patrick  Fleming  of 
Louth,  and  Father  John  Ponce  of  Cork.  Later  on,  Ponce  was  guardian. 
Father  Francis  Harold,  Wadding's  nephew  and  biographer,  was  librarian  for 
a  time,  and  died  at  San  Isidoro's  in  1685.  San  Isidoro's  was  the  chief 
educational  centre  of  the  Irish  Franciscans  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
centuries,  or,  at  least,  divided  honours  with  the  earlier  Irish  Franciscan 
foundation,  St.  Anthony's,  Louvain.  On  the  occupation  of  Rome  by 
Bonaparte's  troops,  the  church  was  used  as  a  barrack,  and  it  is  believed  that 
many  books  and  MSS.  were  then  destroyed  or  stolen. 

The  valuable  collection  of  MSS.'''  in  the  library  included  a  perfect  copy 
of  the  Liber  Hymnoru/n,  or  Book  of  Hymns — the  Trinity  College  one  is 
imperfect,  though  older — a  copy  of  the  Martyrology  of  Tailaght,  the  missing 
leaves  of  the  Book  of  Leinster,  and  other  rare  matter.  There  was  also  a 
paper  MS.  of  Keating's  History,  believed  by  Father  Peter  MacCormack, 
guardian  in  the  last  century,  to  be  in  the  historian's  own  autograph.  In  this 
opinion  Dr.  Todd  concurred. 

With  the  permission  of  the  General,  the  Irish  MSS.  and  many  valuable 
books  were  transferred  to  the  Franciscan  Convent,  Merchant's  Quay,  Dublin, 
early  in  1872,  the  task  of  selection  and  supervision  being  left  to  Father  . 
Theobald  Carey,  o.s.f.  Several  of  them  are  in  Colgan's  handwriting,  having 
been  brought  to  San  Isidoro's  from  Louvain.  These  documents  were  only 
acquired  through  the  active  intervention  of  the   British  Ambassador. 

The  collection  contains  many  MSS.  of  great  importance  to  the  historian 
of  the  fourteenth,  fifteenth,  sixteenth,  and  seventeenth  centuries.  Their  present 
custodian,  Vx.  O'Reilly,  o.s.f\,  is  at  present  arranging,  classifying,  and  cata- 
loguing them,  with  a  view  to  publication;  and  always  considers  it  a  pleasure 
to  allow  an  inspection  to  anyone  interested  in  such  works. 

The  following  inscriptions  relating  to  Irishmen  are  mostly  cut  on  large 
slabs  covering  the  graves  of  the  dead,  and  forming  the  floor  of  the  church. 
There  are  also  many  nameless  Irish  graves  in  this  sacred  spot.  I  am 
indebted  to  Father  Anthony  for  some  of  these  and  other  courtesies  during 
our  visit  to  Rome.  I  give  each  inscription  facsimile  as  it  appears,  and  after 
each  an  English  translation  for  the  benefit  of  the  general  reader,  and  in  some 
cases  a  short  biographical  notice. 

(1)  The  St.  Isidore  MSS.  were  described  by  Charles  McDonnell,  Proceedings  oj  the  Royal  Irish 
Academy,  vol.  vi.,  pp.  95-112,  read  12  June,  1854.  A  poem  on  their  transference  to  Ireland,  by  John 
Francis  O'Donnell,  appeared  in  the  Nation,  30  March,  1872. 


24 


THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 


D.  O.  M. 

OSSA 

RMI  P.  ALBANI  DAWNEII 

ANGLORUM  BENEDICTINORUM 

TROC.  GENERALIS  ET  ABBATIS 

VIRTUTIBUS  COPIOSE  ORNATI 

OBIIT  XXVIII  FEBRUARII 

MDCCXXXIII 

ILLMUS  D.  THOMAS 

CHAMBERLAINE  HIBERNUS 

CENTUMCELLIS 

ANGLORUM  CONSUL 

MOERENS  POSUIT 


To  the  Most  Excellent  and  High  God. 

The  Bones 

Of  the  Most  Rev.  Father  Alban  Dawney, 

Procurator-General  and  Abbot 

Of  the  English  Benedictines, 

Abundantly  adorned  with  Virtues, 

Died  28th  P'ebruary,  1733. 

The  Most  Illustrious  Thomas  Chamberlaine, 

an  Irishman, 

English  Consul  at  Civita  Vecchia, 

Sorrowing,  placed  [this  Monument]. 


D.  O.  M. 

R.  A.  P.  F.  FRANCISCO  PORTERO  HIBERNO 

MIDENSI  ORD.  MIN.  LECTORI 

BIS  lUBILATO  VIRO  DE  RELIGIONE 

ET  PATRIA  BENEMERITO 

DOCTO  PIOQUE  PLURIUM 

LIBRORUM  AUTHORI  SERENISSIMAE 

MAIESTATIS  BRITTANNICAE 

lACOBI  II  THEOLOGO  ET  HISTORICO 

P.  F.  FRANCISCUS  FLEMINGUS  LECT.  lUB. 

COLLEGII.  S.  ISIDORI  DE  URBE 

EX  ELEEMOSINIS  COLLEGIO  ELARGITIS 

GUARDIANUS  MOERENS  POSUIT 

ANNO  MDCCXXXVI 

OBIIT  ANNO  MDCCII  DIE  VI  APRILIS 
AETATIS  SUAE  CIRCITER  LXXX 


To  the  Most  Excflient  and  High  God. 

To  the  Very  Reverend  Father,  the  Friar  Francis  Porter,  an  Irishman 

of  Mealh,  twice  Jubilate  Lecturer  of  the  Order  of  Minors, 

A  man  deserving  well 

Of  his  Religion  and  Country, 

A  learned  and  ]iious  Author  of  many  Books, 

Theologian  and  Historiographer  of  the  Most  Serene 

Britannic  Majesty,  James  the  Second  ; 

Father,  the  Friar  Francis  Fleming,  Jubilate  Lecturer 

and  Guardian  of  the  College  of  St.  Isidore  of  the  City  (Rome), 

Sorrowing,  placed  [this  Monument,  crected[  witli 

The  Alms  bestowed  on  the  College, 

In  the  year  1736. 

He  died  in  the  year  1702,  on  the  6th  day  of  April, 
About  the  Soth  of  his  Age. 


THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 


125 


Francis  roRiER. 
Born  in  County  Meath ;  went  to  Rome  at  an  early  age  ;  became  a  Fran- 
ciscan Recollect;  was  guardian  of  the  convent  of  San  Isidore;  subsequently 
lector  of  philosophy,  and  professor  of  moral  and  speculative  divinity. 
Wrote  Seciiris  Evatigelica  ad  Hi^resis  Radices  Fosi/a,  published  at  Rome  in 
1674;  Palinodia  Religioiiis  pr(ete7iscc  Reforfnata,  R(jme,  1679;  Compejiditim 
Annaliiim  Eaiesiasficoni/n  Regni  Hihernice^  Rome,  1690  (this  is  his  most 
important  and  best  known  work) ;  Systema  Decretorum  Dogf?iaticorum, 
Avignione,  1693;  Opiisculum  cofitra  viilgares  quasdam prophetias  de  Electiotiilms 
S.  Pontificum,  S.  Malachice  /also  attributas,  gal/ice  primuin  editiim,  tiunc  in 
Laiinufu  Idioma  transiatum,  Rome,  1698. 


D.  O.  M. 

OSSA 

A.  R.  P.  lOANNIS  O'MADDIN  L.  lUB. 

SOLIDA  PIETATE  NON  MINUS 

QUAM  ERUDITIONE  CONSPICUI 

HUIUS  COLLEGII  TER  GUARDIANI 

EM.  CARD.  IMPERIALI 

HIBERNIAE  PROTECTORIS 

TllEOLOGI 

OBIIT 

AN.  MDCCXLIV  DIE  XII  FEBRY. 

AETATIS  ANNO  LXXX 


To  the  Most  Excellent  and  High  God. 

The  Bones 

Of  the  Very  Reverend  Father  John  O'Maddin,  jubilate  Lecturer, 

Conspicuous  no  less  by  Solid  Piety 

Than  Erudition, 

Thrice  Guardian  of  this  College, 

Theologian 

Of  the  Eminent  Cardinal  Imperiali, 

Protector  of  Ireland. 

He  died 

In  the  year  1744,  on  the  12th  day  of  Feliruary, 

In  the  80th  year  of  his  Age. 


REVMUS  ILLRIS  D.  lOAN  O'NALLY 
S.  THEOLAE  DR.  HIBERNUS 
PRON.  APOST.  C.  CNOCNIVIA 
IN  HIBERNIA  ABBAS 
VI R  GEN  ERE  DOCTRINA  FT  PIE- 
TATE CLARUS 

OBIIT  III  lUN.  MDCLXVI 
AETATIS  SUAE  ANNO  LXV 


26  THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 

The  Most  Reverend  and  Illustrious  Doni  John  O'Nally, 
Doctor  of  Sacred  Theology,  an  Irishman, 

Pronuncio  Apostolic  at  Cnocnivia  [Knock ?  ], 

An  Abbot  in  Ireland, 

A  Man  Renowned  in  Lineage,  Doctrine, 

And  Piety. 

He  died  3rd  June,   1666, 
In  the  65th  year  of  his  Age. 


D.  O.  M. 

FR.  ANTONIO  HIQUAEO  HIBERNO 

VIRO  DOCTMO  ET  RELIGIOSMO 

S.  THEOLOGIAE  PROFESSORI  EMERITO 

TOTIUS,  ORDINIS  DEFINITORI 

SOCIO  GRATMO  ET  AMICO  OPTIMO 

MOERENS  POSUIT 

FR.  LUCAS  WADDINGUS 

AEDIS  PRAEFECTUS 

OBIIT  ANNO  MDCXLI 

DIE  XXVI  lUNII 

AETATIS  ANNO  LV. 


To  the  Most  Excellent  and  High  God. 

To  Friar  Anthony  Hickey,  an  Irishman, 

A  Most  Learned  and  Religious  Man, 

E?neritus  Professor  of  Sacred  Theology, 

Definitor  of  the  Whole  Order, 

A  Most  Pleasing  Companion  and  Most  Excellent  Friend, 

Luke  Wadding, 

Prefect  of  the  House, 

Sorrowing, 

Placed  [this  Monument]. 

He  died  in  the  year  1641, 

On  the  26th  day  of  June, 

In  the  55th  year  of  his  Age. 

Anthony  Hickey. 

Born  in  County  Clare ;  taught  at  Cologne  and  Louvain.  He  was  the  first 
divinity  lecturer  at  San  Isidoro's,  whither  he  was  invited  by  Luke  ^^'adding 
in  1625.  He  published  Expostiilatus  Bzovius ;  sen  Nitela  Franciscafice 
religionis  ei  absiersio  sordiuin  quibus  earn  conspurcare  jrusira  tetitavit  Al^ra- 
hamus  Bzovius,  Lyons,  1627  ;  In  quaiuor  libros  sentcntiariim  juxia  mentem 
Scoti,  Lyons,  1639;  and  left  a  treatise  in  MS.,  Be  Sti^i/ia/ibi/s  S.  Catherime 
Senensis. 

Bzovius  was  a  Polish  Dominican,  and  one  of  the  continuators  of  the 
Annales  Eccksiasiici  of  Cardinal  Baronius,  and,  as  a  writer,  attacked  John 
Duns  Scotus  and  the  Franciscans  with  great  bitterness. 


THE  IRISH  IN  ROME  IN  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY.         1 27 

D.  O.  M. 

HIC  lACET 

ANTE  ARAM  SANCTAE  ANNAE 

GUI  DEVOTISSIMUS  DUM  VIXIT  EXTITIT 

R.  A.  P.  F.  lACOBUS  TAAFFE  ORD.  MIN.  S.  FR. 

ILL.  ET  EXLL.  COMITUM   DE.  TAAFFE 

PROVINCIAE  HIBERNIAE  PATER 

SACRAE  THEOLOGIAE  LECTOR  lUBILATUS 

REGINAE  MAGNAE  BRITTANIAE 

OLIM  A  CONCILIIS  ET  CONFESSIONIBUS 

SANGUINE  ILLUSTRIS  ILLUSTRIOR  VIRTUTE 

CANDORE  PRAECIPUUS  PATIENTIA  INVICTUS 

HUMILITAIE  MINOR  PIETATE  MAIOR 

POST  DIVERSA  IN  SUO  ORDINE  EXERCITA 

LAUDABILITER  MUNIA 

POST  PRAECLARA  IN  RELIGIONE  MERITA 

OBirr  IN  HOC  S.  ISIDORI  COLLEGIO  die  VII 

XBRIS  MDCLXXXI  AETATIS  SUAE  LVIII 

RELIGIONIS  VERO  XXXXII 

NOBILITAS  VIRTUS    PIETAS    PRUDENTIA  CANDOR 

ORNANT  TUMULUM  CUNCTA  lACOBE  TUUM 

FRAN.  TAAFFE  COMES  DE  CARLINGFORD 

SAC.  CAES.  REGIAEQUE  MAIESTATIS 

ACTUALIS  CAMERARIUS 
ET  CATAPHRAGIORUM   CHILI ARCHA 
HOC  MONUMENTUM  PATRUO  POSUIT 


To  the  Most  Excellent  and  High  God. 

Here  lies, 

Before  the  Altar  of  Saint  Anne, 

To  Whom  he  was  most  devout  whilst  he  lived. 

The  Very  Rev.  Father,  the  Friar  James  Taaffe,  of  the  Order  of  Minors  of  St.  Francis, 

Of  the  Illustrious  and  Excellent  Counts  Taaffe  ; 

Father  of  the  Province  of  Ireland  ; 

Jubilate  Lecturer  of  Sacred  Theology  ; 

F"ormerly  of  the  Councils  and  Confessions 

of  the  Queen  of  Great  Britain  ; 

Illustrious  by  Blood,  more  Illustrious  by  A^irtue, 

Singular  in  Uprightness,  in  Patience  unconquered. 

In  Lowliness  lesser,  in  Piety  greater. 

After  divers  Offices  laudably  Exercised 

in  his  Order, 

After  Renowned  Merits  in  Religion, 

He  died  in  this  College  of  St.  Isidore  on  the  7th  day 

of  December  1681,  in  the  58th  [year]  of  his  Age 

But  42nd  of  his  Religious  Profession. 

Nobility,  Virtue,  Piety,  Prudence,  Purity, 

All  adorn  thy  tomb,  O  James. 

Francis  Taaffe,  Earl  of  Carlingford, 

Actual  Chamberlain 

Of  the  Sacred,  Cesarean,  and  Royal  Majesty, 

And  Colonel  of  the  Cuirassiers, 
To  his  father's  brother  placed  this  Monument. 


128  THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 

D.  O.  M. 

ILMo  RMo  D.  F.  HUGONI  CAVELLO 
OKD.  M.  STRIC.  OBS.  LECT.  DEFIN.  GNLI 
ARCHIEPO  ARMACAN.  PRIMAT.  HIBERN. 

DE  PATRIA  RELIGIONE  ET  LITERIS 

BENEMERITO  CUIUS  [MORTEM  MERITA] 

IN  PATRIAM  REDITUM 

MORS  PRAEVENIT 

EX.  D.  lOAN  O'NEILL  TIRONIAE  COMES 

HUNC  LAPIDEM   PONI  FECIT 

OBIIT  XXII  SEPT  MDCXXVI 

AETATLS  LV 


To  the  Most  Excellent  am!  High  God. 

To  the  Most  Illustrious,  the  Most  Reverend  Lord,  Friar  Hugh  MacCaghwell, 

Of  the  Order  of  Minors  of  the  Strict  Observance  Lecturer  and  Definitor  General, 

Archbishop  of  Armagh,  Primate  of  Ireland, 

Well  deserving  of  his  Country,  Religion,  and  Letters, 

Wliose  Return  to  his  Country  Death  prevented  ; 

The  Excellent  Lord,  John  O'Neill,  Earl  of  Tyrone, 

Caused  this  Stone  to  be  Erected. 

He  died  on  the  22nd  September,  1626, 

Aged  55. 

Hugh  MacCaghwell. 

Born  of  poor  parents  at  Saul,  Co.  Down,  in  157  i  or  1572  ;  studied  classics 
at  Mona — the  Isle  of  Man  or  Anglesey;  for,  as  both  places  are  called  Mona  in 
Latin,  opinions  differ.  He  was  tutor  to  Henry  and  Hugh,  the  sons  of  Hugh 
O'Neill.  MacCaghwell  was  knighted  by  O'Neill,  and  offered  a  post  in  his  army, 
which  he  refused.  He  accompanied  Henry  O'Neill'^'  to  the  court  of  Spain,  to 
procure  aid  for  the  Ulster  forces.  Visiting  Salamanca,  where  Henry  O'Neill 
remained  to  complete  his  education,  MacCaghwell  determined  to  become  a 
Franciscan.  After  his  ordination,  he  taught  theology  at  Salamanca.  He 
co-operated  with  Dr.  Florence  Conry,  Archbishop  of  Tuam,  in  establishing  at 
Louvain  the  College  of  St.  Anthony  for  Irish  Franciscans.  Here,  too,  he  professed 
theology,  and  had  among  his  pupils  Colgan  and  Fleming.  In  1623  he  became 
Definitor-General  of  the  Observantine  Franciscans,  and  was  honoured  with 
the  chair  of  theology  in  the  convent  of  Ara  Cceli,  Rome.  At  the  request  of 
John. O'Neill,  Earl  of  Tyrone,  and  Albert  Hugh  O'Donnell,  Earl  of  Tyrconnell, 
he  was  appointed  to  the  see  of  Armagh  by  Urban  VIII.  on  17  March,  1626, 
He  was  consecrated  at  Rome,  7  June ;  but  died  of  fever  before  setting  out 
for  his  diocese.  He  wrote  the  Mirror  of  the  Sacrament  of  Pejiance,  in  Irish, 
for  the  benefit  of  his  countrymen  serving  abroad.  This  was  published  in 
1618 — not  in  1628,  as  stated  by  Harris  and  Stuart,  who,  erroneously,  make  it 

(1)  Father  O'Laverty  (vol.  v.,  Bishops,  p.  399),  by  mistake,  says  he  accompanied  "  Hugh  "  to  Spain. 


THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 


139 


a  posthumous  work.  He 
also  published  Scofi  Com- 
mciifana  in  ijuatiior  Libras 
Scntc?itianim  aim  Anjio- 
tationibiis  Margi/ia/ibi/s, 
1620;  Apologia  'pro  Joanne 
Duns  Scoto  adversus  Abr. 
Bzoviuni.  To  this  Nicholas 
Jansenius  wrote  a  reply, 
which  was  answered  hv 
MacCaghwell  (under  the 
assumed  name  of  Hugo 
Magnesius)  in  a  woric  en- 
titled Apologia  Apologitc 
pro  J.  D.  Stolo  scriptce 
adversus  Nic.  Janscninni 
Ord.  Pricdicaloruui,  Paris, 
1623.  Other  works  of 
MacCaghwell's  were — Scoti 
Coinmeniaria  sen  Reportata 
Farisiensia,  Quccs/ionvs 

Quodlibelales,  QuicsLoncs  in 
Libras  de  Anima,  Qucesfiones 
in  Metaphysicam,  etc.  His 
life  was  written  by  one  of  his 
pupils,  the  famous  Father 
Patrick  Fleming  of  Louth. 


II  MacCaghwell. 

Naevi  nescia 
Scolislis  illuxit  Hugh  ;  ecu  Scotus  Hugeui 
haec  quantum  didicit,  debet  untrique,   Scho 
Without  blemish. 
Hugh  shone  upon  the  Scoiists  ;  .Scot\is  learned  as  it 
were  these  things  from  Hugh,  as  much 
Pholo.  0/  a  fresco  in  the  Au/,x    A 


he  School  did  from  both. 


D.  O.  M. 


R.  A.  P.  F.   LUCAE  WADDING  HIBERNO 

VIRO  ERUDITO 

VIRTUTIBUS  ORNATO 

DE  ECCLESIA  RELIGIONE  ET  PATRIA 

BENEMERITO 

LECTORI  lUBILATO 

TOTIUS  ORDIN.  MINOR.  CHRONOLOGO 

PATRI  AC  FUNDATORI 

OPTIMO  ET  AMANTISSIMO 

COLLEGIUM  MOERENS  POSUIT 

AERE  D.  HERCULIS  RONCONII 

IN  URBE  ADVOCATI 

EIUS  VERI  AMICI 

I    IVAN  CASHEL  HOEY  RENOVAVIT  | 

OBIIT 

XVII  NOVEMBRLS  MDCLVII 

AETATIS  LXX 

FLEBILIS   HINC  ABSIS  SUBITO  MORS  VICTOR  REMANSIT 

OSSA  TEGIT  MARMOR  SPIRITUS  ASTRA  TENET 


I30 


THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 


To  the  Most  Excellent  and  High  God. 

To  the  Very  Reverend  Father,  Friar  Luke  Wadding,  an  Irishman, 

An  Erudite  Man, 

Adorned  with  Virtues, 

Well  deserving 

Of  Church,  Religion,  and  Country, 

Jubilate  Lecturer, 

Chronologer  of  the  Whole  Order  of  Minors, 

A  Father  and  Founder, 

The  Best  and  Most  Loving, 

The  Sorrowing  College  placed  [this  Monument] 

At  the  Expense  of  Signor  Hercules  Ronconio, 

Advocate  in  the  City, 

His  True  Friend. 

I   John  Cashel  Hoey  restored  it.    | 

He  died 

i8th  November,  1658, 

Aged  70. 

To  be  lamented,  be  thou  hence  :  suddenly  Death  remained  the  Victor. 

Marble  has  covered  the  bones  :  the  spirit  holds  the  stars. 


Auro 
Alter 


LuKK  Wadi 

lUilrat.^ 
Liirre  niagis  at 
potiiit  pin^ere 


et  ntire.-i  penna 


Spotless. 
I'he  mind  of  Luke  than  gold  more  golde 
10  hand  could   paint  eiiher. 

Photo.o/  a  hcs.o  in  the   .luUi  Max:, 


I,  and  a  golden  pen 
a.  San  Isidoro. 


Born  in  \V;iterford  in 
1588;  his  fatlier,  Walter 
Wadding,  a  citizen  of 
eiiiinence;  his  mother, 
.A.nastasia  Lombard,  a  near 
relative  of  Peter  Lombard, 
the  Primate  of  Armagh. 
He  studied  under  the 
Jesuits  at  Lisbon,  then  in 
the  Franciscan  Convent  of 
the  ImmaculateConception 
at  Matozinhos,  where  he 
was  professed  on  the  23 
September,  1605.  Subse- 
(]uently,  he  taught  theology 
at  Coimbra  and  Salamanca. 
Besides  Irish,  English,  and 
the  classical  tongues,  he 
was  master  of  the  chief 
Euro[)ean  and  some  of 
the  Oriental  languages.  St. 
Isidore's  College,  which 
was  the  chief  of  his  con- 
ventual foundations,  was 
opened  for  the  reception  of 
students   on   the    24  June, 


THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY.  131 

1625,  and  was  furnished  l)y  him  with  a  library  of  5,000  books  and  some  800 
MSS.  He  was  the  first  guardian.  At  five  successive  chapters  he  was  chosen  to 
the  same  office.  The  regulation  of  the  sees — in  fact,  of  the  whole  Church  in 
Ireland — was  practically  entrusted  to  his  management  by  the  Roman  curia, 
particularly  during  the  Cardinal-protectorship  of  his  patron,  Cardinal  Ludovisi. 
Wadding  took  an  active  part  in  promoting  the  war  of  the  Confederate 
Catholics,  and  was  recommended  to  Urban  VIII.  for  the  Cardinalate  by  the 
Supreme  Council ;  but  he  got  possession  of  their  recommendation  when  the 
deputation  bearing  it  arrived  in  Rome,  and  prevented  its  presentation  to  the 
Pope.  Wadding  published  some  twenty  Latin  works,  the  most  valuable  being 
his  immense  history  of  his  Order,  the  Anna/es  Mmorum,  eight  volumes  folio, 
Lyons  and  Rome,  1625-1654;  and  edited  the  works  of  John  Duns  Scotus, 
sixteen  volumes  folio,  Lyons,  1639.  Wadding's  life,  in  Latin,  will  be  found  in 
the  1731  edition  of  \\\'i  Annales,  written  by  his  nephew,  Father  Francis  Harold. 


D.  O.  M. 

HIC  lACET 

ILLU.STRISSIMUS  D.  lACOBUS  FAGAN  PBESBY 

TER  HIBERNUS  PIUS  ET  ERUDITUS  DOCTOR 

COMPLUTENSIS  AGENS   CLERI   HIBERNIAE  ROMAE 

QUI   EPATUM  MIDENSEM  SIBI  A  PAPA  COLLATUM 

RENUIT  OBYT  DIE  VI  AUGUSTI  MDCCXIII 

REQUIESCAT  IN  PACE 


To  the  Most  Excellent  and  High  God. 

Here  lies 

The  Most  Illustrious  Lord,  James  Fagan, 

A  Pious  Irish  Priest  and  Erudite  Doctor, 

Agent  at  Alcala  de  Henarez  of  the  Irish  Clergy  of  Rome, 

Who  refused  the  Episcopate  of  Meath  conferred  upon  him  by  the  Pope, 

He  died  on  the  6th  day  of  August,  17 13. 

May  he  Rest  in  Peace. 

D.  O   M. 

A.  R.  P.  F.  BERNARDINO  MORPHY  HIBERNO 

S.  T.  L.  lUBILATO  COLLEGYQUE  GUARDIANO 

VIRO 

(AMABILI  MORUM  SUAVITATE 
ILLIBATO  VITAE  CANDORE 
INTEGRITATIS  ET  lUSTITIAE  LAUDE 
ERUDITIONIS   EXCELLENTIA 
SPECTABILI 
D.  lOANNIS  BAPTISTA  MAINI 
MEDIOLANENSIS 
MERENTI  MOERENS  APPOSUIT  ^ 

OBYT 
ANNO  SAL  MDCCXL  DIE  IV  SEPTEMB 
AETATIS  ANNO  XXXXVH 
R  LP. 


132  THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 

To  the  Very  Reverend  Father,  the  Friar  Bernard  Murphy,  an  Irishman, 

Jubilate  Lecturer  of  Sacred  Theology  and  Guardian  of  the  College  ; 

A  Man 

Notable 

For  Amiable  Sweetness  of  Manners, 

For  Spotless  Purity  of  Life, 

For  the  Praise  of  Integrity  and  Justice, 

For  the  Excellence  of  Erudition  ; 

Signor  John  Baptist  Maini 

of  Milan, 

Sorrowing, 

Placed  [this  Monument]  as  to  one  of  good  deserts. 

He  died 

In  the  year  of  Salvation  1740,  on  the  4th  day  of  September, 

In  the  47th  year  of  his  Age. 

R.I.  P. 


D.  O.  M. 

lOANNI CREVAEO  HIBERNO 

LIMERICENSI  EX  ORDINE  PATRICIO 

S.  TH.  DOCTORI  ABULENSI 

PATRIAE  DIOCESEOS  OLIM  VIC.  GENERALI 

ALEXANDRO  VII  PONT.  MAX. 

A  SECRETIORI  SACELLO 

PROTONOT.  APOST 

EQUITI  AUR.  NOB.  ROMANO 

VIRO  GENERE  DOCTRINA  PIETATE  CONSPICUO 

PETR.  ET  ANDR.  CREVAEI  EIUS  CONSANGUINEI 

TAMQUAM  PARENTI  OPTIME  MERITO 

MOERENTES  POSUERUNT 

OBIIT  ANNO  XPI.  MDCLXIII 

AETATIS  SUAE  LXVIII 

DIE  VI  lANUARII 


To  the  Most  Excellent  and  High  God. 

To  John  Creave,*  an  Irishman, 

Of  Limerick,  of  Patrician  order. 

Doctor  of  Sacred  Theology,  of  [Abbeyville  ?  ] 

Formerly  Vicar-General  of  his  paternal  Diocese, 

Of  the  Private  Chapel 

Of  Alexander  the  Seventh,  Supreme  Pontiff, 

Protonotary  Apostolic, 

A  Noble  Roman  Knight, 

A  Man  Conspicuous  by  Lineage,  Doctrine,  and  Piety  ; 

Peter  and  Andrew  Creave,  his  Kinsmen, 

As  unto  a  Relation  of  the  best  deserts, 

Sorrowing, 

Placed  [this  Monument]. 

He  died  in  the  year  of  Christ  1663, 

In  the  68th  of  his  Age, 

On  the  6th  day  of  January. 

*  This  name  also  takes  the  forms  of  Crcuie  and  Creagh. 


THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY.  1 33 

John  Creave  (or  Creagh,  as  he  is  most  commonly  called). 

A  native  of  Limerick,  nephew  of  Primate  Creagh,  who  was  poisoned  in 
the  Tower  of  London  in  1585,  after  eighteen  years'  imprisonment.  John 
Creagh  was  domestic  chaplain  of  Pope  Alexander  VIL  Pierce  Creagh,  who 
was,  first.  Bishop  of  Cork,  and  afterwards  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  and  who  died 
at  Strasburg  in  1705,  was  his  nephew.  Pope  Alexander  VIL  created  a 
dukedom  in  the  Creagh  family,  and  gave  them  an  addition  to  their  arms. 


HIC  lACET 

D.  CLEMENTINA  MEIGHAN 

ALIAS  O'NEILL 

OBIIT  VII  DECEMBRIS   MDCCLVI 

AETATIS  SUAE  ANNO  XXIII 

D.  THOMAS   MEIGHAN 

DILECTISSIMAE  CONIUGI  SIBI 

ET  HAEREDIBUS  FOSUIT 

R.I. P. 


Here  lies 

*  D.  Clementina  Meighan, 

Otherwise  O'Neill. 

She  died  on  the  7th  December,  1756, 

In  the  23rd  year  of  her  Age. 

*  D.  Thomas  Meighan, 

To  his  beloved  Wife,  for  himself 

And  heirs,  placed  [this  Monument]. 

R.I.P. 


D.  O.  M. 

MAURITIO  BREHUNO   HIBERNO 

PHILOSOPHO 

INNOCENTIUS  CAVALLONI  ROMANUS 

MOERENS  MONUMENTUM  POSUIT 

OBIIT  AETATIS  XXXXV  DIE  HI  MAII 

ANNO  MDCXXXIH 


To  the  Most  Excellent  and  High  God. 

To  Maurice  Brehun,  an  Irishman, 

A  Philosopher, 

Innocent  Cavalloni,  a  Roman, 

Sorrowing,  placed  [this]  Monument. 

He  died  in  the  45th  of  his  Age,  on  the  3rd  day  of  May, 

In  the  year  1633. 

Domina  and  Djininus  respectively;  equivalent  here  to  "  Mrs."  and  "Mr. 


^34 


THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 

D.  O.  M. 

MEMORIA  P.  F. 

BONAVEN.RA  BARONIS     -\   HYBERNI 

LECTORIS  /  CLONMEL 

PLURIES  EMERITI 

AUTHORIS 

XXII  TOMORUM 

QUIPPE 

ORATORIS  POETAE 

PHILOSOPHI  HISTORICI 

PRINCIPUM  ALIQUOT  THEOLOGI 

QUI  DUDUM 

SCOTIAE  GUSTOS 

DEINDE 

GROATIAE  GOMMISSARIUS 

DENIQUE 

RECUSATA  HUIUS  GOENOBII  PRAEFEGTURA 

(NE  ADDAM  INFULAS  EPISGOPALES) 

MORTALITATI  SUGGUBUIT 

OGTOGENARIO  MAIOR 

F.  lO.  DE  BURGO  AEDIS  PRAEFEGTUS 

MONUMENTUM  MERENTI  EREXIT 

AN.  GIoDGXG 

IPSE  BARO  EXPIRAVIT  AN.  MDGXGVI 

MENSIS  MARTII  DIE  i8 

NOGTIS  {    HORA   4 

QUIESGAT  IN  PAGE 

AMEN 


To  the  Most  Excellent  and  High  God. 

A  Memory  of  P'ather,  the  Friar     \  An  Irishman 
Bonaventure  Baron,  /  of  Glonmel 

Several  Times 

Emeritus  Lecturer, 

Author 

of  22  Volumes, 

To  wit, 

An  Orator,  a  Poet, 

A  Philosopher,  an  Historian, 

Theologian  of  sundry  Princes, 

Who,  heretofore 

The  Guardian  of  Ireland, 

Then 

Gommissary  of  Groatia, 

Having  refused  the  Prefecture  of  this  Monastery 

(Not  to  add  Episcopal  Mitres), 

Succumbed  to  Mortality, 

More  than  an  Octogenarian. 

Friar  John  de  Burgo,  Prefect  of  the  House, 

As  unto  one  of  Merit,  erected  [this]  Monument, 

In  the  year  1690. 

Baron  himself  expired  in  the  year  1696, 

On  the  i8th  day  of  the  Month  of  March, 

At  the  4th  Hour  of  Night. 

May  he  Rest  in  Peace. 

Amen. 


THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY.  135 


i 


OCTAVIA  CATHARINA  MARIA  FILIA  GEORGII  BRYAN 

EQUITIS  lENKINSTOWNENSIS 

ET  MARGARITAE  TALBOT  ROMAE  NATA 

VI  ID.  FEBRUARII  A.  D.  CIDIDCCCXXVII 

EXTREMUM  DIEM  IBIDEM  OBIIT 

KAL.  DECEMBRIS    CIDI3CCCXLVI 

REQUIESCAT  IN  PACE 


Alpha.     Christos.     Omega. 

Octavia  Catherine  Mary,  Daughter  of  George  Bryan, 

Knight,  of  Jenkinstown, 

And  Margaret  Talbot ;  Born  at  Rome 

The  6th  of  the  Ides  of  February,  a.d.  1827. 

There,  she  discharged  the  extreme  day,* 

In  the  Kalends  of  December,  1846. 

May  she  rest  in  Peace. 


AMELIA  CURRAN  WAS  THE  MOST 

TALENTED  AND  VIRTUOUS  DAUGHTER  OF 

lOHN  PHILPOT  CURRAN 

WHO  FEARLESSLY  PLEADED  THE  CAUSE  OF  HIS 

COUNTRY  AND    HIS   OPPRESSED   FELLOW  CITIZENS 

BEFORE  CORRUPT  JUDGES  AND  HOSTILE  JURIES 

THEY  WERE  TRUE    PATRIOTS 

TO  THEIR  MEMORY  THIS  TABLET  IS  INSCRIBED  BY 

THEIR  SURVIVING  FRIEND  VALENTINE  SECOND 

LORD  CLONCURRY 

ANNO  DOMINI  MDCCCXLVIII 

Amelia  Curran's  sister  Sarah  was  the  betrothed  of  Robert  Emmet,  con- 
cerning whom  Washington  Irving  has  written  the  pathetic  tale  of  T/ie  Brokoi 
Heart.  Her  story  is  well  known,  and  has  been  often  told  both  in  song  and 
verse. 


D.    O.    M.  "To  "^h*^  ^lost  Excellent  and  High  God. 

HEIC  CINIS  QUIESCIT  Here  rests  the  Dust 

MARGARITAE  HORIS   MEIGHAN  of  Margaret  Horis  Meighan, 

ENNIS    HIBERNENSIS  Ennis,  of  Ireland, 

INGENIA    PRUDENTIA    PIETATE  Most  Excellent  in  Disposition, 

RELIGION E  PRAESTANTISSIMAE  In  Prudence,  in  Piety,  in  Religion, 

ANNO  AET.  SUAE   LXII  In  the  62nd  year  of  her  Age. 
R.  S.  MDCCCXVI  DIE  XXVI  AUG.               All  things  coming  to  an  End  in  1816  on  the  26th  day  of  Augus 

ALBANI  VITA  FUNCTAE  Having  discharged  Life  at  Albano. 

lOHAN.  ENNIS  PRIMAEVUS  FIL.  John  Ennis,  her  Eldest  Son, 

RATI  ANIMI   ET  CHARITATIS    ERGO  Because  of  Grateful  Mind  and  Charity, 

MATRI  AMANTISSIMAE  To  his  Most  Loving  Mother, 

CUM  LACRYMIS  M.  P.  With  Tears,  placed  [this]  Monument. 

'  Extremunt  dietn  obire,  to  discharge  the  extreme  day  ;  pleonastic  for  "died." 


136  THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 

D.  O.  M. 

INNOCENTIO  XI  SUMMO  PONTIFICE 

EMIN.  ET  REV.  D.  MARCUS  ANTO.  BARBADICUS 

S.  R.  E.  TIT.  S.  SUSANNAE  PRESB.  CARD.  ARCHIE?.  CORC 

ECCLESIAM  IIANC  ET  ALTARE  MAIUS 

(INCLUSIS  IN  EV  RELIQUIIS  SS.  MARTVRUM 

IRENAEI  ET  MARTIALIS) 

IN  HONOREM  .S.  ISIDORI  AGRICOLAE  DICATAM 

DOMINICO  DIE  XXVI  OCT.  ANN.  MDCLXXXVI 

SOLEMNI  RITU  ET  POMPA  CONSECRAVIT 

ET  PETENTIB.  GUARDIANO  ET  PP.  HUIUS  COLLEGII 

ORD.  FRATRUM  MINORUM  STRICT.  OBSERV. 

NATIONIS  REGNI  HIBERNIAE 

ANNIVERSARIUM  HUIUSMO.  CONSECRATIONIS 

TRANSTULIT  AD  DOMINICAM  QUARTAM 

EIUSDEM  MENSIS  CUIUSLIBET  ANNI 

INDULGENTIASQ.  CENTUM  DIERUM  OMNIBUS 

FIDELIBUS  EAMDEM  ECCLESIAM  PRAEDICTA 

DIE  VISITANTIBUS  CONCESSIT 


To  the  Most  Excellent  and  High  God. 

Innocent  XI.,  Supreme  Pontiff, 

The  Eminent  and  Most  Rev.  Marcantonio  Barbadico, 

Cardinal  Priest  of  the  Holy  Roman  Church,  of  the  Title  of  St.  Susannah, 

Archbishop  of  Corfu, 

Consecrated  this  Church  and  greater  Altar 

(Relics  of  the  Holy  Martyrs  Irenreus  and 

Martial  being  enclosed  therein), 

Dedicated  in  honour  of  St.  Isidore  Agricola, 

On  Sunday,  26th  October,  1686, 

With  solemn  rite  and  ceremony, 

And,  at  the  request  of  the  Guardian  and  Fathers  of  this  College, 

Of  the  Order  of  P'riars  Minors  of  the  Strict  Observance 

Of  the  Nation  of  the  Kingdom  of  Ireland, 

Transferred  the  anniversary  of  this  Consecration 

To  the  fourth  Sunday  of  the  same  month  of  any  year, 

And  granted  indulgences  of  a  hundred  days 

To  all  the  faithful  visiting  the  same  Church 

On  the  aforesaid  day. 

SACELLUM  

FRANCISCO  ASISINATI  The  Chapel 

ORDINIS  MINORUM  PARENTI  Dedicated 

ET  PATRICIO  To  Francis  of  Assisi, 

HIBERNIAE  EPISCOPO  Parent  of  the  Order  of  Minors, 

ATQUE  APOSTOLO  And  to  Patrick, 

DICATUM  Bishop  and  Apostle  of  Ireland, 

NOVIS  OPERIBUS  With  new  works 

ET  PICTURIS  ADDITIS  And  pictures  added, 

ORNAVIT  AN.  MDCCCLXVI  Paul  Belloni 

PAULUS    BELLONI  Adorned  in  the  year  1866, 

ET  lURE  PATRONATUS  And  by  rite  of  patronage 

SIBI  GENTIQUE  SUAE  Secured  for  himself  and  his  family. 

COMPARAVIT 


THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY.  137 


M 


HEIC  AVITO  IN  SACRARIO  QUIESCUNT 

ISABELLA  BALL  THOMAE  SHERLOCK  UXOR 

EIUSQUE  FILIA  ISABELLA  CLARA 

MARIAE  PERDOLENTIS  SOROR  VIRGO 

HIBERNAE 

ROMAE  DIEM  SUPREMUM  OBIERUNT 

MATER  VI  NONAS  MAIAS  A.  M.DCCC.XLVII 

FILIA  IV.  NONAS  MARTIAS  A.  M.DCCC.XLVI 

VIRTUTES  EARUM  ANIMIS  AB  INEUNTE  AETATE  INSEDERUNT 

PARENS  QUOTIDIANA  IN  EGENOS 

BENEFICENTIA  EXCELLUIT 

ROMANAMQUE  PETRI  SEDEM 

SUMMO  STUDIO  PROSEQUUTA  EST 

VIRGO  MATRIS  VESTlGlIS  NOVITER  INGRESSA 

DEO  AB  AETATIS  FLORE  DEVOTA 

CHRISTUM  SPONSUM  PERAMANTER  DILEXIT 

UT  PRAECLARA  VIRTUTUM  EXEMPLA 

MEMORIAE  POSTERORUM  PRODANTUR 

lOANNES  ET  MARIA  SHERLOCK 

MATRI  INCOMPARABILI  SORORI  DULCISSIMAE 

CUM  LACRYMIS  POSUERUNT 


Alpha.     Christos.     Omega. 

Here,  in  ancestral  chapel,  rest 
Isabella  Ball,  Wife  of  Thomas  Sherlock, 

and  her  Daughter,  Isabella  Clare, 

A  Sister  of  the  Sorrowful  Mary,  a  Virgin 

of  Ireland. 

They  discharged  the  supreme  day*  at  Rome, 

The  Mother  on  the  6th  of  the  Nones  of  May,  in  the  year  1847, 

The  Daughter  on  the  4th  of  the  Nones  of  March,  1846. 

The  Virtues  sat  in  [possessed]  their  Minds  from  an  Early  Age. 

The  Parent  excelled  in  daily  Beneficence 

Towards  the  Poor, 

And  followed  the  Roman  See  of  Peter  with  Extreme  Affection. 

The  Virgin,  newly  entering  upon  the  footsteps  of  her  Mother, 

Devoted  to  God  from  the  Flower  of  her  Age, 

Loved,  most  lovingly,  Christ  her  Spouse. 

In  order  that  illustrious  Examples  of  Virtues 

May  be  handed  down  to  the  Memory  of  Posterity, 

John  and  Mary  Sherlock, 

To  an  Incomparable  Mother,  to  a  most  sweet  Sister, 

With  tears,  placed  [this  Monument]. 

Suf>re»inm  diem  obire.  to  discharge  the  supreme  day;  pleonastic  for  "to 


138  THE    IRISH    IN    ROME    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 

The  following  inscription  is  on  the  new  monument  erected  by  the  Irish 

on  the  Continent : 

PIO  IX.  PONT.  MAX. 

COLLEG.  HIRERN.  SOD.  FRANCISC.  EX.  ORD.  STRICT.  OBSERV. 

IN  CONTINENTI  DOMO  A  LUCA  WADINGO 

EXCITATA  COMMORANTIUM 

AEDEM  HANG.  B.   ISIDORO  AGRIC.   UICATAM 

INIURIA  SUPERIORUM  TEMPORUM   SQUALENTEM 

PIORUM  MUNIFICENTIA  SUFFRAGENTE 

IN  SPLENDIDIOREM  FORMAM  REST.  CUR. 

ANNO  MDCCCLVI 


Pius  IX.,  Pope. 

The  Irish  College  of  the  Sodality  of  Franciscans  of  the  Order  of  Strict  Observance, 

Abiding  on  the  Continent, 

In  the  House  raised  by  Luke  Wadding, 

Had  the  care  to  restore  to  more  splendid  form 

This  temple  dedicated  to  St.  Isidore, 

Befouled  with  the  injury  of  former  times. 

The  munificence  of  the  pious  assisting, 

In  the  year  1856. 


Zbc  (TolvillG  jfamil^  in  WQtcw 


By  JOHN   M.   DICKSON. 

N  these  practical  days  it  may  seem  to  many  persons  a  sad 
waste  of  time  to  collect  the  memorials  of  a  family  that  is 
no  longer  in  a  position  to  liestow  favours,  and  whose 
'^^Xjl.  ^^^^%  existence  in  this  province  is  now  almost  forgotten;  but,  as 
ys^fe-^<i:^  some  members  of  the  Ulster  branch  of  the  Colville  family 
were  striking  personalities  in  themselves,  and  filled  a  large  place  in  the  history 
of  their  times,  the  writer  (himself  a  descendant  of  that  family)  has  considered 
it  worth  while  to  collect  together  such  notices  of  them  as  are  to  be  found 
scattered  through  existing  records,  and  to  add  to  these  such  family  traditions 
as  yet  remain,  and  have  not  been  published  hitherto. 

Of  the  printed  records,  a  large  proportion  may  be  found  in  the  notes  to 
the  Montgornery  A/a?tuscripis,  edited  by  the  Rev.  George  Hill.  These  notes 
contain  an  immense  amount  of  most  interesting  matter  relating  to  the  history 
of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries  in  the  north  of  Ireland.  From 
these  the  writer  has  freely  borrowed,  and  in  that  way  has  not  only  been  saved 
much  labour,  but  has  possibly  avoided  many  blunders  by  following  such  a 
master  in  historical  research. 

The  Colvilles  (as  the  name  implies)  are  of  Norman  origin;  no  less  than 
three  of  that  name  appearing  on  the  roll  of  Battle  Abbey  as  having  accom- 
panied the  Conqueror.  The  Scottish  branch,  with  which  we  are  more 
immediately  concerned,  sprang  from  Philip  de  Colville,  who  settled  "in 
Scotland  in  the  twelfth  century;  and  whose  descendant,  Sir  Robert,  was 
Master  of  the  Household  to  James  IV.,  and  fell  with  his  sovereign  at 
Flodden  in  15 13.  The  grandson  of  this  Sir  Robert,  having  married 
Margaret,  daughter  of  Sir  Robert  Douglass  of  Loch  Leven,  had  two  sons — 
James,  his  heir,  and  Alexander,  "Commendator  of  Culross,"  who  was  ancestor 
of  the  present  eleventh  Baron  Colville  of  Culross,  the  title  having  been 
granted  in  1609,  the  next  heir  being  styled  "Master  of  Colville."'"* 

The  family  seem  to  have  since  become  allied  by  marriage  with  most  of 
the  Scottish  nobility,  including  the  blood  royal,  their  arms  displaying  the 
"Stuart  fess,"  as  may  be  seen  on  the  family  tomb  in  Newtownards. 

The  founder  of  the  Irish  branch  of  the  family,  Alexander  Colville,  d.d.. 
Professor  of  Divinity  at  St.  Andrew's,  Fife,  who  came  to  Ireland  in  1630, 
was,  according  to  Burke,  son  of  the  "Commendator"  above  mentioned,  and 

(1)  Douglass's  Scottish  Peerage. 


I40  THE    COLVILLE    FAMILY    IN    ULSTER. 

brother  of  John,  third  Lord  Colville  of  Culross.  '^'  It  is  probable  he  was 
induced  to  settle  in  the  north  of  Ireland  by  his  kinsman,  Bishop  Echlin, 
whose  mother  was  Grissel  Colville,  daughter  of  Robert  Colville  of  Clish,  in 
the  county  of  Kinross. 

Bishop  Echlin,  finding  himself  in  a  position  to  grant  preferment,  and,  in 
the  good  old  Scottish  fashion,  remembering  that  "  blood  is  thicker  than 
water,"  was  probably  willing  to  give  a  helping  hand  to  this  relation  of  his  wife, 
which  he  could  more  readily  do,  as  his  protege  was  in  his  own  profession. 
Accordingly,  we  find  that,  after  receiving  two  minor  appointments  in  the 
diocese  of  Connor,  Dr.  Colville  obtained,  in  1634,  the  rectory  of  Skerry,  to 
which  was  joined,  in  1661,  the  adjoining  living  of  Rathcavan,  also  in  the 
same  diocese. 

These  two  parishes  must  have  brought  in  a  very  comfortable  income;  but 
could  not  have  accounted  for  the  large  means  for  those  times  which  Dr. 
Colville  certainly  possessed.  The  most  probable  explanation  is  that  a  very 
large  sum,  derived  from  the  sale  of  a  Scottish  estate,  had  been  bequeathed  to 
him  by  a  wealthy  kinsman,  who  ended  his  days  under  the  doctor's  roof. 
Many  of  his  neighbours  in  the  County  Antrim,  probably  envious,  and  certainly 
uncharitable,  accounted  for  his  wealth  in  a  very  different  way.  They  reputed 
him  a  sorcerer,  who  had  obtained  supernatural  powers  by  selling  himself  to 
the  devil. 

We  must  remember  that,  in  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  the 
belief  in  witchcraft  and  "  black  art "  was  very  general,  and  was  nowhere 
stronger  than  among  the  strict  Covenanters  in  the  south  of  Scotland,  many 
of  whom  had  by  that  time  settled  in  the  county  of  Antrim,  and  had  doubtless 
brought  this  belief  over  with  them. 

We  find  in  the  Memorials  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Law,  1 638-1 6S4,  an 
amusing  story,  in  which  Dr.  Colville's  name  occurs  in  this  connection.  A 
servant  girl  in  the  employment  of  Major-General  Montgomery,  residing  at 
Irvine,  having  been  charged  with  the  crime  of  raising  the  devil  (for  the 
excusable  purpose  apparently  of  discovering  the  whereabouts  of  some  stolen 
silver),  pleaded  guilty  to  the  charge,  adding  that  she  had  learned  the  art  in 
Dr.  Colville's  house  in  Ireland,  "  who  used  to  practise  it." 

As  the  local  account  of  the  doctor's  transactions  with  the  evil  one  was 
very  circumstantial  in  its  details,  and  very  widely  believed,  we  may  be  allowed 
to  repeat  it  as  an  illustration  of  the  credulity  prevailing  in  County  Antrim 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago. 

Late  one  summer's  evening,  it  appears  the  doctor  was  fishing  along  the 
river  Maine,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Galgorm  Castle,  when  suddenly  a 
gentleman  of  distinguished  appearance  and  rather  dark  complexion  presented 
himself  before  hiin.     Whether  or   not   the  apparition   was  on   this   occasion 

(1)  Lattiitd  Cenlry  Siif'/k unfit,    1850,  p.   71. 


THE    COLVILLE    FAMILY    IN    ULSTER.  I4I 

voluntarily  "  raised  "  by  the  doctor  is  not  reported ;  but  anglers  will  under- 
stand that  "  raising"  is  the  first  object  in  trout  fishing,  and  possibly  this  "rise" 
from  the  lower  regions  may  have  been  in  response  to  some  lure  on  his  part ; 
but  as  the  whole  story  is  rather  "fishy,"  we  need  not  discuss  the  point.  At 
all  events,  it  seems  the  devil  proceeded  to  make  offers  for  the  reversion  of  the 
doctor's  soul  ;  and  after  the  customary  higgling,  the  price  was  fixed  at  just  as 
many  "spade  guineas"  as  would  fill  one  of  the  top  boots  which  the  doctor 
was  wearing  at  the  time.  Possibly  the  boot  may  have  been  suggested  by  him 
as  the  largest  receptacle  just  then  "at  hand,"  if  such  a  bull  may  be  excused  ; 
and  the  time  of  payment  was  arranged  to  be  at  twelve  o'clock  on  the  same 
night  in  the  doctor's  study.  Now,  it  appears  that  this  study  was  on  the  second 
story  of  the  castle,  and  it  occurred  to  the  doctor  that  he  might  contrive  to 
get  a  little  more  "  to  boot,"  as  it  were,  besides  his  bargain  in  this  way.  Having 
cut  a  large  hole  in  the  sole  of  the  boot  to  be  filled,  he  fastened  it  securely 
to  the  floor  of  his  study,  having  fitted  it  over  a  corresponding  hole  in  the 
floor  under  it,  so  that  when  the  devil  proceeded  to  fill  the  boot  with  guineas 
he  had  also  to  fill  the  rather  roomy  apartment  on  the  ground  floor !  So  far, 
the  doctor  had  clearly  the  best  of  it;  but,  in  the  course  of  time,  the  night  came 
round  when  "  the  due  and  forfeit  of  his  bond  "  had  to  be  met.  Now,  when 
the  devil,  who  is  a  model  of  punctuality  on  these  occasions,  appeared  in  the 
doctor's  study,  he  found  him  engaged  in  reading  his  Bible  by  the  light  of  an 
inch  of  candle,  which,  in  order  to  follow  the  text  more  closely,  he  held  between 
his  finger  and  thumb.  His  satanic  majesty,  reflecting  doubtless  on  the 
extremely  stiff  figure  he  had  been  obliged  to  pay  on  his  previous  visit,  and, 
like  Malvolio,  "quenching  his  familiar  smile  with  an  austere  regard  of  control," 
ordered  the  doctor  to  come  along.  On  being  summoned,  the  latter  requested 
one  further  small  favour  from  his  old  confederate — namely,  to  be  allowed  to 
remain  until  the  small  remnant  of  candle  which  he  held  in  his  hand  should 
be  burned  out.  This  moderate  request  being  granted,  he  dropped  the  candle 
into  the  Bible,  which  he  promptly  closed  upon  it  1  The  devil,  though  able  to 
quote  scripture  on  occasion  to  serve  his  turn,  is,  it  seems,  on  no  account 
permitted  to  touch  the  sacred  volume  itself;  so  realizing  too  late  that  he  was 
no  match  for  his  reverence,  he  disappeared  for  good,  leaving  the  doctor  in  the 
dark  to  be  sure,  but  not  incommoded  further  than  by  a  slight  perfume  of 
brimstone,  which,  under  the  circumstances,  was  perhaps  unavoidable. 

Similar  visitations  of  other  castles  are  reported  in  mediaeval  times,  in  which 
a  great  breach  in  the  wall  remains  to  show  the  violent  means  of  exit  adopted; 
but  in  those  cases  the  devil  carried  off  the  corpus  delicti  with  him.  As  this 
was  not  so  at  Galgorm,  there  was  no  injury  to  the  masonry  of  the  castle  : 
the  devil  on  this  occasion  having  carried  away  nothing  except,  perhaps,  a 
very  natural  resolution  to  make  no  more  "time  bargains"  with  doctors  in 
divinity. 


142  THE    COLVILLE    FAMILY    IN    ULSTER. 

It  is  agreeable  to  notice  the  charming  simpHcity  ascribed  to  the  devil  in 
these  old  legends,  and  his  scrupulous  respect  for  his  promises  :  in  fact,  the 
sharp  practices  always  appear  on  the  other  side.  If  we  are  to  believe  the 
hard  things  reported  of  the  devil  by  the  theological  faculty  nowadays,  we  are 
driven  to  infer  that  this  sad  falling  off  in  his  originally  fine  character  must  be 
due  to  his  dealings  "  in  the  way  of  business  "  with  mankind,  both  lay  and 
clerical,  since  those  good  old  times. 

Though  it  might  be  thought  in  these  more  enlightened  days  unnecessary 
to  treat  such  a  legend  as  the  above  seriously,  yet  the  writer  learns  that  it 
is  still  currently  reported  in  the  neighbourhood,  that  when,  some  fifty  years 
ago,  the  present  owners  entered  Galgorm  Castle,  they  found  there  an  iron 
box,  in  which,  when  opened,  were  found  the  Bible  and  bit  of  candle  !  ! 

But  there  were  other  reasons  besides  his  unaccountable  wealth  that  may 
have  given  rise  to  these  charges  of  occult  practices.  Dr.  Colville,  having  been 
"  a  true  Church  and  King  man,"  a  doughty  champion  of  Prelacy,  and  a 
constant  thorn  in  the  side  of  the  Presbytery,  must  have  made  many  enemies, 
who,  finding  him  generally  too  strong  for  them,  hated  him  accordingly. 
There  is  a  passage  in  Reid's  History  of  Presbyterianism  (vol.  ii.,  p.  603) 
that  throws  so  much  light  on  this  aspect  of  the  question  that  we  quote  it  in 
extenso.  It  relates  to  the  time  when  a  Presbytery  was  first  formed  in  Ulster 
under  Munro's  military  auspices,  and  the  Scotch  Presbyterians,  under  Parlia- 
mentarian patronage,  were  pushing  matters  with  a  high  hand  in  Church  and 
State,  gathering  to  themselves  all  the  tithes  and  church  property,  and  claiming 
almost  papal  control. 

"Although  a  Scotchman,  he  was  an  eager  and  intolerant  prelatist.  ...  He  had 
been  one  of  the  few  clergymen  who  joined  in  the  petition  to  Strafford  to  impose  the  black 
oath  on  his  countrymen  in  Ulster,  and  he  now  railed  against  the  Presbyterian  ministers  as 
intruders,  not  only  into  the  ministry,  but  into  the  province.  He  possessed  considerable 
property  in  the  country,  yet,  notwithstanding  his  wealth  and  influence  and  his  contempt  for 
their  authority,  the  Presbytery  determined  to  proceed  against  him.  Their  process,  however, 
was  suspended  in  consequence  of  the  English  Commissioners,  who  were  anxious  to  bring 
over  a  person  of  his  weight  to  the  side  of  Parliament." 

Their  proceedings  against  this  formidable  opponent  are  thus  recorded  in 
the  artless  narrative  of  Adair  : 

"  The  Presbytery  at  this  time,  and  a  while  before,  did  use  great  diligence  to  convince  Dr. 
Colville  of  divers  unsuitable  carriages,  both  in  private  discourse  with  some  of  their  number, 
and  by  summoning  him  before  the  Presbytery ;  and  had  witnesses  to  prove  their  allegations 
against  him.  But  he  never  appeared,  except  one  time  before  the  Commissioners  at  Belfast, 
at  which  time  he  would  not  direct  his  speech  to  the  Moderator,  but  to  the  Commissioners. 
He  had  also  beforehand  applied  to  the  Commissioners,  vindicating  himself  and  insinuating 
on  them.  Upon  this  they  desired  the  Presbytery  to  deal  with  him  as  favourably  as  they 
could,  in  regard  that  they  had  use  for  the  doctor  in  reference  to  their  affairs  in  the  county, 
he  being  a  man  knowing  that  way.  The  Presbytery  had  gone  so  far  before  the  Ct)mmissioners 
came  over,  that  he  was  publicly  prayed  for,  in  order  to  excommunication;  yet  thereafter  they 
found  it  convenient  to  proceed  no  further ;  and  some  knowing  friends  thought  it  had  been 
greater  prudence  to  have  let  him  alone." 


THE    COLVILLE    FAMILY    IN    ULSTER.  I43 

Truly,  a  terrible  doctor  this  to  deal  with,  who  treats  the  Presbytery  with 
contempt;  will  not  even  "direct  his  speech  to  the  Moderator";  who  defies 
the  powers  that  be,  treating  the  Lord  Protector  Cromwell  as  little  better  than 
a  usurper;  yet  whose  Commissioners,  when  sent  down  specially,  will  not 
interfere  with  him:  would  rather,  indeed,  "have  him  on  their  side."  Clearly 
not  a  man  to  be  encountered  with  carnal  weapons;  to  be  "prayed  for"  rather, 
as  one  in  league  with  the  powers  of  darkness  !  It  is  to  be  feared  tliat  the 
"unsuitable  carriages"  went  on  after  this  visit  of  the  Commissioners  just  as 
before;  that  he  continued  to  dispute  every  inch  of  ground  with  the  Presbytery; 
and  to  help  the  distressed  Royalists  during  the  usurpation,  and  even  to  lend 
them  money  in  their  extremity.  It  does  not  appear,  however,  that  he  lent 
any  money  in  that  way  without  adequate  security,  being  probably  "knowing 
that  way  "  also.  At  all  events,  he  did  not  impoverish  him.self,  as  about  that 
time  he  had  been  able  to  purchase  the  Galgorm  estate,  containing  some 
twenty- one  townlands. 

We  find  it  stated  distinctly  in  Lewis's  Topographical  Dictionary  of  Coun/y 
Antrim  that  Galgorm  Castle  was  built  by  Dr.  Colville;  and  this  the  writer 
considers  most  probable.  It  was  known  for  a  century  afterwards  as  "  Mount 
Colville";  and  as  his  two  immediate  predecessors — Mr.  William  Edmondson 
and  Sir  Faithful  Fortescue — can  only  have  been  about  twenty  years  in 
possession,  it  seems  improbable  that  either  of  them  should  have  undertaken 
such  a  work. 

On  the  other  hand,  its  present  owner,  the  Right  Hon.  John  Young  (to  the 
courtesy  of  whose  family  I  am  much  indebted)  is  of  opinion  that  the  builder 
of  the  castle  was  Sir  Faithful  Fortescue,  on  account  of  the  care  taken  to  render 
it  defensible— a  matter  not  likely  to  be  so  carefully  attended  to  by  a  clergyman. 
But,  whoever  may  have  been  the  builder  of  Galgorm  Castle,  the  fact  that  it 
remains  perfectly  habitable  after  weathering  the  storm  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years,  speaks  volumes  for  the  substantial  character  of  the  work. 

The  estate  of  Galgorm,  purchased  by  Dr.  Colville,  was  the  moiety  of 
the  district  of  "  Clanaghertie,"  granted  by  King  James  I.  in  i6oS,  in 
capite,  to  Rory  Oge  MacQuillin,  "in  consideration  of  the  loss  of  his 
inheritance  disposed  of  by  his  majestie  to  Sir  Randolph  MacDonnell."  This 
former  "inheritance"  of  the  MacQuillin  consisted  of  the  much  more 
extensive  and  fertile  territory  known  as  "The  Route,"  south  of  Coleraine, 
which  had  been  included  in  the  wholesale  confiscations  that  followed  the 
Elizabethan  wars  in  Ulster ;  although  its  owner,  Edward  MacQuillin,  had 
never  taken  any  part  in  the  rebellion.  Finding  that,  in  case  of  wrongful 
seizure,  no  Irish  landowner  had  any  legal  remedy  in  his  own  country, 
MacQuillin  (being  then  102  years  of  age,  and  quite  blind)  made  his  way  to 
London,  in  1605,  to  seek  for  justice  from  the  king  himself,  who  must  have 
been    moved   by    this   pathetic    figure,  as   he  gave    him    promises  of  some 


144  THE    COLVILLE    FAMILY    IN    ULSTER. 

compensation,  which  the  old  man  did  not  live  to  see  carried  out.  However, 
in  1608,  King  James  commissioned  his  deputy,  Sir  Arthur  Chichester,  to 
inform  his  grandson,  Rory  Oge  MacQuillin,  that  the  territory  of  Inisowen,  in 
Donegal  (confiscated  from  Sir  Cahir  O'Oogherty)  should  be  transferred  to 
him.  It  seems  that  the  idea  of  entering  on  the  patrimony  of  his  friend  and 
fellow-sufferer,  O'Dogherty,  was  repulsive  to  MacQuillin's  sense  of  honour. 
This  sentimental  reluctance  was  very  convenient  for  the  wily  Chichester,  who 
doubtless  warmly  encouraged  it,  as  he  had  already  determined  to  have 
Inisowen  for  himself.  Having  already,  among  other  pickings,  got  the  lands 
of  Clanaghertie  assigned  to  himself,  he  induced  MacQuillin  to  take  it  in 
exchange  for  the  much  more  valuable  Inisowen.  Chichester  evidently 
considered  that  even  Clanaghertie  was  much  too  good  for  a  "  meere  Irish- 
man" like  MacQuillin;  for  we  find  that,  eleven  years  after,  the  king  was 
induced  upon  some  pretext  to  issue  a  royal  letter  demanding  the  surrender 
of  the  property;  and  the  nephew  of  Sir  Arthur  Chichester,  "Sir  Faithful 
Fortescue,  received  back  the  estate  of  Clanaghertie."  However,  on  this 
occasion,  Sir  Arthur  Chichester  gave  a  sum  of  money  to  Rory  Oge  MacQuillin, 
"  in  consideration  of  the  advantage  that  had  accrued  to  his  family  through  the 
other's  loss'.'!  Fortescue,  a  short  time  after,  having  divided  the  Clanaghertie 
estate,  disposed  of  one  half  to  ^^'illiam  Adair,  the  ancestor  of  the  Ballymena 
family,  and  the  remainder  to  William  Edmondson  of  Redhall,  who  again  sold 
his  portion  to  Dr.  Colville  before  the  middle  of  the  century. 

This  portion  contained  twenty-one  large  townlands;  and  when  Lord 
Mountcashel  sold  it  through  the  Encumbered  Estates  Court,  in  1851,  it 
realized  about  ;^8o,ooo,  although  land  values  were  greatly  depressed  owing 
to  the  famine;  the  estate  having  thus  remained  in  the  possession  of 
Dr.  Colville  and  his  descendants  for  upwards  of  two  centuries. 

As  he  was  succeeded  in  the  livings  of  Skerry  and  Rathcavan,  in  1679,  by 
Andrew  Aytoun,  we  may  conclude  that  Dr.  Colville  died  in  that  year. 

The  writer  has  been  unable  to  discover  any  reference  to  the  marriage  of 
Dr.  Colville,  but  assumes  that  it  had  taken  place  before  he  left  Scotland  in 
1630,  as  his  son  Robert,  "sole  heir  of  his  bodie,"  who  had  entered  the  Army, 
was  a  captain  in  165 1.  This  we  learn  from  the  following  letter,  addressed  by 
Major  Rawdon  to  Lord  Conway,  and  dated  Nov.  25,  165 1  : 

"My  daughter  Pen  will  make  it  a  wedding  with  Captain  Colville  within  ten  or  twelve 
days.     The  doctor  [Colville?]  is  your  servant  very  much." 

This  "wedding"  was  the  first  of  four  recorded  of  Sir  Robert  Colville, 
and  this  lady  was,  from  the  name,  probably  mother  of  his  daughter  Penelope, 
who  was  afterwards  first  wife  of  Sir  Robert  Adair  of  Ballymena,  as  well  as  his 
son  and  heir  Francis,  who,  having  married  (Nov.  7,  1682)  Dorothy,  daughter 
of  Sir  John  Temple,  and  sister  of  the  first  Viscount  Palmerston,  died  shortly 
afterwards  sifie prok  {Lodge,  1754). 


THE    COLVILLE    FAMILY    IN    ULSTER.  145 

Captain  Colville  seems  to  have  resided  with  his  father  at  Galgorm,  being 
described  as  "of  Mount  Colville,  in  the  County  of  Antrim,"  in  1675,  the  year 
in  which  he  bought  the  estates  of  Newtown  and  Greyabbey,  being  knighted 
apparently  some  time  between  that  year  and  1679,  when  he  also  purchased 
the  Comber  estate,  the  residue  of  Lord  Mount  Alexander's  property  ;  the 
whole  comprising  some  sixty  townlands,  together  with  the  villages  of  Newtown 
and  Comber,  and  now  forming  the  County  Down  estate  of  the  Marquis  of 
Londonderry. 

Having  acquired  these  large  estates  in  County  Down,  Sir  Robert  Colville 
proceeded  to  rebuild  for  himself  Newtown  House,  the  former  residence  of  the 
Montgomery  family,  which  had  been  burned  in  1664  "by  the  carelessness  of 
servants."  This  house,  which  had  been  "fully  finished"  in  1618,  and  stood 
between  the  present  ivy-covered  ruin  and  the  "castle  garden,"  "made  three 
sides  of  a  quadrangle  (the  south  side  of  the  church,  being  contiguous,  made 
the  fourth  side),  with  coigns,  and  window-frames,  and  chimney-pieces,  and 
funnels  of  freestone,  all  covered,  and  the  floors  beamed  with  main  oak  timber 
and  clad  with  boards;  the  roofs  with  oak  plank  from  his  lordship's  own  woods, 
and  slated  with  slates  out  of  Scotland ;  and  the  floors  laid  with  deals  out  of 
Norway;  the  windows  were  fitly  glazed,  and  the  edifice  thoroughly  furnished 
within."  On  the  same  site.  Sir  Robert  Colville  built  "from  the  foundation 
one  double-roofed  house,  stables,  and  coach-houses,  and  all  other  necessary 
or  convenient  edifices  for  brewing,  baking,  washing,  hunting,  hawking, 
pleasure-rooms,  and  pigeon-houses." 

As  from  this  time  forward  Sir  Robert  Colville  is  most  frequently  mentioned 
in  connection  with  the  politics  of  County  Down,  we  will  defer  his  further 
history  to  a  future  paper. 

(To  be  continued.) 


Hr&toIc  Souterrain,  County  Down. 


By  FRANCIS  JOSEPH   BIGGER 

AND 

WILLIAM  J.  FENNELL. 

LOSE  to  Ardglass,  this  souterrain 
is  situated  in  the  field  west  of  the 
ruined  church  of  Ardtole,  in  the 
County  of  Down.  Its  total  length 
is  about  1 08  feet,  its  width  3  feet, 
and  height  5  feet  3  inches.  One 
end  widens  to  over  6  feet,  whilst 
a  passage  runs  off  at  right  angles 
at  the  other  end  to  a  depth  of 
1 1  feet.  About  the  centre  of  the 
passage  there  is  a  break  for  pro- 
tective purposes,  making  further 
access  difficult,  if  not  impossible. 

The  walls  are  carefully  and  regularly  built  of  ordinary  field  stones,  and  roofed 

with  slabs. 


Ardtole   Soutekkai 

Vhoto.  l>j   K.   Ilckh. 


THE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN. 


147 


The  ground  plan  is  crescent-shaped,  forming  a  very  fine  example  of  an 
underground  dwelling.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  entrance  has  been  closed 
by  the  farmer  on  whose  land  it  is  situated. 


L_-..a#^' 


fpory-  BKesclpQ^-by  I^"* 


^bc  parisb  of  Berr^hcicjbaii  ((Touut^  antrim) 
for  ^brce  Centiuice, 


By  THOMAS  CAMAC. 


».^y  HE   average   Ulsterman's  knowledge  of  the  history   of  his 
*^'  '     native  province  is  very  limited  indeed,  being  generally  con- 
fined  to  incidental  references  which  one  comes  across  in 
!~;;^^^^     some    school    history    of    England.      Meagre    though    his 


^^^ 


acquaintance  with  Ulster  events  may  be,  it  is  often  more 
comprehensive  in  general  than  that  of  his  native  district  in  particular.  Of 
the  latter  he  may  be  said  to  know  nothing,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  facts 
handed  down  by  tradition,  which,  at  the  best,  are  not  always  reliable,  and  at 
the  utmost  do  not  extend  further  back  than  the  "rising"  of  1798. 

The  following  notes,  collected  during  the  last  few  years  from  the  somewhat 
scanty  materials  at  my  disposal,  will,  it  is  hoped,  in  some  measure  serve  to 
show  who  have  been  the  chief  figures  for  the  last  three  centuries  in  the  parish 
of  Derrykeighan.     The  period  extending  from  the  Plantation  of  Ulster  to  the 


148  THE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN. 

present  has  been  selected  partly  because  we  have  very  insufificient  data  previous 
to  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  partly  because  the  ancestors 
of  the  vast  majority  of  people  now  resident  in  the  parish  had  not  settled  here 
until  that  period.  The  authorities  consulted  are  as  follow :  Reeves's  Ecclesias- 
tical Antiquities,  Hill's  MacDotinells  of  Antrim  and  Stewarts  of  Ballintoy, 
Reid's  History  of  Fresbyterianism,  Killen's  works,  O'Laverty's  Down  and 
Connor,  Ewart's  Handbook  of  Down  and  Connor  and  Dromore,  Cotton's  Fasti, 
Benn's  Belfast,  etc.  The  above  have  been  the  principal  books  from  which 
I  have  extracted  the  matter  already  printed ;  but  full  use  has  also  been  made 
of  old  documents,  sometimes  partly  illegible,  which  have  occasionally  fallen 
into  my  hands,  and  of  the  inscriptions  on  the  many  tombstones  which  serve 
to  mark  the  resting-places  of  our  forefathers  who  sleep  in  the  old  parish 
churchyard  Before  going  further,  however,  I  must  here  own  my  indebtedness 
to  receiving  much  interesting  information  from  a  work  entitled  Annals  of  the 
Farish  of  Derrykei^:;han,  hitherto  unpublished,  but  left  type-written  by  the 
late  Rev.  Hugh  McNeill,  rector  of  the  parish,  a  gentleman  well  known  as  an 
indefatigable  antiquarian,  whose  many  well-written  articles  on  archaeological 
subjects  appeared  in  the  Coleraine  and  Ballymoney  newspapers.  But  so 
unassuming  was  he  that  his  name  never  appeared  over  any  of  those  articles. 
This  work  was  kindly  lent  me  by  his  brother,  Alexander  McNeill,  J.P.,  of 
Gardenvale,  Stranocum.  It  is  natural  to  suppose  that  two  persons  working 
on  the  history  of  any  particular  district  would  gather  much  from  books  and 
tradition  of  similar  import.  This  I  find  to  be  true  in  the  present  instance. 
Where  any  statement  is  made  directly  borrowed  from  this  work,  it  will  be 
found  duly  acknowledged,  provided  I  have  not  gleaned  the  same  myself. 
I  am  chiefly  under  obligations  to  this  valuable  work  for  the  list  of  last 
century  curates  of  Derrykeighan ;  the  Rev.  Hugh  McNeill  having  greater 
facilities  for  obtaining  information  regarding  them  than  I  had. 

Before  attempting  to  take  up  the  thread  of  our  narrative,  it  will  perhaps 
be  as  well  to  ascertain  the  boundaries  of  the  parish,  with  the  names  of  the 
lands  comprised  therein.  The  inquisition  taken  at  Antrim  in  1657  makes 
the  parish  consist  of  the  "ensuing  quarters — 4  qrs.  Monister,  one  qr. 
Karuskeerans,  two  qrs.  Lismurerty  and  Meare,  one  qr.  Islandetard,  one  qr. 
MuUaghduff,  4  qrs.  Ballyluske,  one  qr.  Carnfeogh,  one  qr.  Drumcrotagh, 
one  qr.  Masseregy,  one  qr.  Balenify,  two  qrs.  Leveryne,  eight  small  qrs.  Carn- 
colaght  and  Abberduoy,  two  small  qrs.  Inchgran,  two  qrs.  Strone,  two  qrs. 
Bally  Rattican."  These  seem  to  have  been  the  extent  of  the  parish  hitherto  ; 
but  the  Inquisition  ordered  the  following  lands  to  be  added  :  "Urblereagh, 
Ballynagew,  Ballymuckfine,  Tobberdoney,  Stranocum,  Money  Robbin, 
Cubbidall,  Rosyard,  Benvardine,  Tullycapple,  Ballylurgan,  Killmaylee,  and 
Ballybogg."  The  added  denominations  of  land  were  afterwards  divided 
among  the  neighbouring  parishes  of  Ballymoney,  Dunluce,  and  Billy,  so  that 


THE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN.  I49 

the  parish  afterwards  appears  as  coterminous  with  the  boundaries  mentioned 
as  existing  before  the  inquisition,  which  boundaries  may,  generally  speaking, 
be  said  to  hold  good  when  that  document  says  "bounded  on  the  East  by 
the  psh.  of  Ramone  and  Loughgeel,  on  the  south  by  the  River  of  Bush, 
which  divides  between  the  said  psh.  and  the  psh.  of  Ballymoney.  On  the 
west  by  the  psh.  of  Dunluce,  and  divided  by  the  River  of  Bush  aforesaid,  and 
on  the  north  by  the  psh.  of  l-Jilly."  In  Ireland  the  affairs  of  Church  and 
State  have  been  so  inseparably  connected  for  centuries — the  parish  church 
performing  many  functions  through  its  vestries,  which  were  afterwards  relegated 
to  Grand  Juries  (now  County  Councils),  Boards  of  Guardians,  and  other  public 
bodies — that  I  have  deemed  it  advisable  to  give  the  general  history  of  the 
parish  concurrently  with  the  list  of  its  rectors  and  curates,  reserving  the  other 
places  of  worship  for  separate  treatment.  To  give  a  picture  of  Derrykeighan 
at  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  would  merely  be  giving  one  of 
the  district  of  Route,  of  which  it  forms  a  part.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  having 
suffered  much  from  war  and  its  concomitants,  the  district  had  well  nigh  been 
depo[)ulated,  an  J  had  finally  been  wrested  from  its  former  owners,  the 
MacQuillins,  by  the  MacDonnells.  The  district  was  in  possession  of  this 
powerful  family  when  James  I.  gave  Sir  Randall  MacDonnell  a  grant  of  the 
lands  from  the  "  Corran  at  Larne  to  the  Cutts  at  Coleraine";  whereupon  Sir 
Randall,  afterwards  ennobled  by  the  title  of  Earl  of  Antrim,  gave  long  leases 
on  favourable  terms  to  the  many  Scottish  colonists  who  settled  here  :  chiefly, 
we  may  suppose,  from  the  shores  of  Ayrshire.  It  is  a  tribute  to  the  tolerant 
principles  of  MacDonnell,  that,  though  a  Roman  Catholic,  he  did  not  object 
to  Presbyterians  settling  on  his  estates. 

The  Rev.  George  Hill  significantly  remarks,  concerning  some  of  the 
settlers,  that  "  they  were  the  more  welcome  because  of  their  bringing  with 
them  the  means  of  stocking  their  farms."  The  names  of  those  who  settled 
in  Derrykeighan,  gleaned  from  the  MacDofmel/s  of  Antrim,  "'  were  Thomas 
Boyd,  '^'  at  Carncoggy ;  Thomas  Boyd,  at  Lisconnan ;  Archibald  Boyd,  at 
(^arncullagh ;    H.   Peoples   and   Catherine   (lanniel,  at    Ballyhivistock ;    John 

(1)  MacDonnells  of  Antrim,  p.  207. 

(2)  The  oldest  monument  in  Derrykeigh.Tn  records  the  death  of  Thomas  lioyd's  wife,  Catherine  Peebles  ; 
but  the  stone  is  broken,  and  the  two  parts  serve  to  support  a  later  tombstone.  The  following  is  the  inscription 
on  one  of  the  parts  : 

l-EIRVMDERLIE 
UJ  ST  OF  IRVIlt  =d 
>  WHO  DEPAR  X 
g-ED-RISLYF>; 
J  ETEIOFHOnJ 
VEheER'IH  > 
^   Al^O  DOI   5 

(2)  Boyd  had  been   Provost  of  Irvine. 


15° 


THE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN. 


Stewart,  at  Ballylusk ;  and  Anthony  Kennedy, '"  who  resided  at  Armey,  and 
held  a  lease  of  Mosside.  The  above  is  a  list  of  the  chief  Scottish  land- 
holders here;  but,  at  the  same  time,  probably  the  families  of  Kerr,  Nevin, 
Campbell,  Gordon,  MacCook,  Moore,  Hunter,  Logan,  Crawford,  etc.,  settled 
in  Derrykeighan.  But  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  names 
which  we  find  settled  in  the  parish  at  a  somewhat  later  date  all  came  at 
the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  ;  for  many  doubtless  afterwards 
found  an  asylum  here,  who  left  Scotland  to  better  their  position  on  Irish 
soil.  At  that  time  the  only  place  of  worship  was  the  parish  church.  The 
majority  of  the  inhabitants,  being  Scotch  Presbyterians,  had  no  place  of  their 
own.  The  Terrier,  about  1609,  says:  "  Ecclesia  de 
Dirracheagan  hath  in  glebe  20  acres.  Sir  Randal 
is  Parson,  Donald  O  Murray  Vicar.  Proxies  20/, 
Reflections  20/,  Synodals  2/";  or,  in  other  words, 
two-thirds  of  the  tithes  were  given  to  the  land- 
lord. Sir  Randal  MacDonnell,  and  one-third  to 
the  minister. '"' 

In  1609,  James  I.,  under  the  title  Prebend  of 
Cairncastle,  united  the  parishes  of  Derrykeighan, 
Kilwaughter,  Ballycorr,  and  Rashee.  Donald 
O  Murray,  who  was  the  first  prebend,  lived  in  the 
latter.'^'  He  is  mentioned  in  the  Ulster  Visitation 
Book  of  1622,  but  appears  to  have  died  the  same 
year;  for  we  find  the  celebrated  Dr.  Colville'^' 
prebend  about  this  time.  William  Wallace  was 
curate  here  about  1622:  he  was  also  curate  of  Dun- 
luce.  The  church  is  then  reported  as  "ruynous." 
Wallace  was  appointed  vicar  of  Ardclinis  in  1633.'^' 
After  him,  a  curate,  whose  name  I  have  been 
unable  to  ascertain,  officiated  in  Derrykeighan  for 
a  short  time,  as  the  following  inscription  on  the 
west  gable  of  the  old  church  shows : 


(1)  Anthony  Kennedy  is  buried 
in  Billy,  where  his  tombstone  is 
inscribed  thus  : 


1-EIR  LYETH  Al€ 

DAYOFDECE^ 

lU   ivBER  THE   s 

P.YEIRE  OFOOD  O 

> 


1620 


M 


"^vsivgjoAaam 


Several  families  of  Kennedy 
live  in  Derrykeighan,  and  there 
is  a  burying-place  in  the  old 
graveyard  known  as  "  Kennedy's 
Knowe."  A  grave-stone  there 
bears  date  1728. 


Coat  of  Arms. 
VOCE  GREGEM  VITAQVE 
DEO  LAETAOQVE  FIDELIS 
QVI  PAVIT.  PLACQVITQVE 
CRVCIAVIT  HIC  EST 
OBIT      24     FEB      1636(6' 


(2)  O'Laverty's  Down  and  Connor,  vol.  ii.,  p.  128.  (4)  See  page  130. 

(3)  Annals  0/  Deryykcighan.  (5)  Annals  0/  Derrykeighan. 

(6)  Owing  to  the  stone  being  much  worn  there  is  some  difficulty  in  deciphering  the  letters.  Some  of  them 
are  obliterated,  but  it  is  uiidouhtedly  same  Latin  as  Hill  gives  (MonliroiHery  Alannscrifits.  a.  124)  on  the 
monument  of  Rev.  D.  Magill,  Greyabbey.  i  -^  y-    ,  H       •*' 


THE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN. 


151 


Colville  having  been  appointed  precentor  of  Connor,  and  consequently 
rector  of  Ballymoney,  in  1628,  the  next  prebend  was  WiUiam  Fullerton,  an 
individual  destined  to  have  a  very  eventful  and  chequered  career.  He  was 
first  admitted  to  the  rectory  of  Ahoghill,  on  the  presentation  of  Lord 
Chichester.  The  tidings  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  wars  of  1641  were 
announced     in     Derrykeighan     church    by    the    rector's    relative,    Alexander 


f^ 


Derrykeighan  Old  Church. 


Stewart  of  Ballintoy,  on  Sunday,  24  October  of  that  year.  For  the  settlers 
to  have  remained  in  the  open  country  was  to  court  death  at  the  hands  of 
their  opponents.  Two  places,  both  about  equi-distant,  were  available  for 
refuge — Coleraine  and  Ballintoy.  Fullerton  betook  himself  to  the  latter, 
followed  probably  by  the  chief  inhabitants,"'  and  there  held  out  until  the 
arrival  of  the  Scotch  army  compelled  the  Irish  to  raise  the  siege.  Some 
blood  was  shed  at  Carnkerin,  Manister,  and  several  other  places  throughout 
the  district.  After  burning  Dunluce,  the  Irish  marched  to  Derrykeighan, 
where  they  made  a  proclamation  that  any  who  thereafter  spoke  English  should 
be  hanged.  This,  however,  was  not  carried  out.  A  Derrykeighan  man, 
James  Kerr,'"'  was  killed  during  the  siege  of  Ballintoy. 

The  Scottish  army  established  the  first  Presbytery  in  Ireland  at  Carrick- 
fergus  in  1642,  and  sent  Commissioners  through  the  Route  to  administer  the 
covenant.  The  Presbyterians,  when  in  power,  were  not  more  tolerant 
than  others;  but  this  was  an  age  of  bigotry  and  intolerance.     The  advent  of 

(1)  MacDonnells  of  Antrim. 

(2)  The  Kerrs  lived  at  Beerhill,  near  Dervock.  A  small  headstone  in  Derrykeighan  marks  the  burying- 
place  of  the  family.      It  is  inscribed  : 

HEARE  LYETH-THE-BoDY-oF  R 
oBART  •  KAR  •  WHO  DEPARTE 
D  LIFE  THE  7  OF  NOV  1676 
ALSO  ■  SERA  •  KAR  WHO  •  DEP 
ARTED  •  LIFE  THE  •  2  •  oF  •  N 
OV  1714. 
Robart  was  probably  a  son  of  James,  who  was  killed.     A  later  stone  records  the  death  of  Paul   Kerr,  1770. 


His  daughter 
line. 


ried 


Samuel  Simpson,  Derrykeighan.     The  family  is  still  continued  in  the  female 


152  THE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN. 

the  Covenant  Commissioners  forced  Fullerton  to  sign  the  covenant,  as 
administered  by  either  Adair  or  Weir,  '^'  to  avoid  being  expelled  from  his 
parish.  He,  with  several  other  ministers  who  had  taken  the  covenant, 
composed  what  they  styled  the  Route  Presbytery.'-'  During  the  Common- 
wealth he  is  mentioned  in  the  list  of  those  in  receipt  of  a  salary  from 
Cromwell.  After  the  Restoration,  the  old  form  of  worship  was  resumed, 
and  he  died  in  possession  of  the  living  of  the  parish,  and  is  buried  beside 
the  old  church,"''  where  his  mural  tablet  bears  the  following  inscription  : 

HERE  •  LIETH  •  THE  •  BODIE  •  OF  WILLFAxM 
FVLERTON  •  CLARK  •  ARCH  •  DEACON 
OF  •  ARMAG H  •  AND  •  PREBEND  •  OF  •  C ARNCAS 
TLE  •  WHO  ■  DEPARTED  -THIS  ■  LIFE  •  THE  •29rH 
OF  •  SEPT  •  166  •  WITH  •  HIS  •  WIFE  •  JEANE 
DAVGHTER  •  TO  •  ROBERT  •  ECHLIN  •  BISHOP 
OF  •  DOWNE  .  AND  .  CONNOR  •  BY  •  WHOM 
HE  •  HAD  •  SVCH  .  CHILDREN  •  AS  •  FOLLOW 
ETH  •  ROBERT  •  WILLIAM  •  lOHN  •  JEANE 
MARGARET  •  EVPHAM  •  ISOBEL  ^^rp— 
MARY  •  AND  •  AGNES  1^) 

In  the  list  of  Presbyterian  landholders  proposed  to  be  removed  from 
Ulster  to  Munster  and  Leinster  in  1623,  we  find  the  names  of  the  following 
Derrykeighan  men  ;  viz ,  Walter  Kennedy,  Thomas  Boyd,  Archibald  Boyd, 
John  Peoples,  Adam  Boyd,  and  Robert  Stewart,  with  possibly  a  few  others. 

The  next  prebend  was  Lemuel  Mathews,  who  was  non-resident,  and 
suspended  by  the  commission  of  bishops  in  1694.  Different  curates  were  in 
Derrykeighan  during  his  prebendate.  The  Rev.  H.  McNeill  mentions 
Dugald  Jamison,  John  McQuern,  and  Archibald  McNeile.  Of  Jamison  and 
McQuern  I  know  nothing;  but  McNeile  was  grandson  of  a  former  rector  of 
Billy;  viz.,  Donald  McNeile,  who  was  also  Cromwellian  minister  of  Bally- 
castle.  Archibald  McNeile  was  promoted  to  the  rectory  of  Billy,  where  he 
died  in  17 18.  His  tombstone,  built  in  the  wall  separating  the  old  from  the 
new  burying-ground,  reads  : 

Prope  hie  Jacet  corpus  Reverendi 
Archibaldi  McNeile  Evangelii  praeco 
Nis  una  cum  uxore  Patre  Avo  et 
pluiimis  aliis  consanguineis 

qui     obit     4    to    die    7    bris     1 7 14. 

During  the  Revolution  (1688-90)  the  inhabitants  of  Derrykeighan  were 
probably  inactive;  the  only  military  service  they  could  render  being  under 

Leslie  of  Ballymoney,  in  the  regiment  raised  by  him  for  service  under 

William  HL;  hut  as  this  force  appears  to  have  become  disheartened  after  the 
"  Break  of  Dromore,"  our  ancestors  very  likely  remained  quiet,  but  far  from 

(1)  Adair's  Narrative. 

(2)  Reid,  vol.  i.,  p.  495. 

(3)  Reid,  vol.  ii.,  ;<ppendi.\  6.      The  date  of  his  death  is  probably  1666. 

(4)  For  note,  on  Fullerton  family,  see  Hill's  MucDonneils  0/ Antrim  and  Montfiomcy  Manuscripts. 


THE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN.  153 

disinterested,  spectators  of  the   momentous   issues   hanging    in    the    balance 
around  the  walls  of  Derry. 

The  Special  Visitation  of  1694  records  the  prebend  of  Cairncastle  vacant. 
James  Stewart  and  Robert  Crawford,  churchwardens,  appeared,  and  were 
sworn;  but  were  contumacious,  and  reserved  for  punishment.*" 

The  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century  appears  to  have  been  singularly 
uneventful  in  the  parish  ;  so  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  give  the  list  of  its 
rectors  and  curates.  Where  there  is  a  link  wanting,  I  have  availed  myself  of 
the  Rev.  H.  McNeill's  list.  As  none  of  the  rectors  resided  here,  we  need  not 
inquire  much  into  their  careers.  Mathews  would  seem  to  have  been  re- 
instated some  years  after  his  suspension,  and  was  succeeded  by  James  Smyth, 
son  of  the  Archdeacon  of  Connor,  a  relative  of  Dr.  Smyth,'"'  Bishop  of 
Down  and  Connor.  He  resigned  in  1731,  when  Richard  Moreton  was 
appointed.  Henry  Daniel  was  prebend  in  1739,  and  was  succeeded  in  same 
year  by  James  Auchmuchty.  In  1753  John  Smith  was  appointed,  and  was 
succeeded  in  1760  by  William  Ussher.  In  1774  William  Traill  was  prebend, 
and  succeeded  in  1781  by  Edmund  Leslie,  who  resigned  in  1784,  when  John 
Dickson,  son  of  the  Dean  of  Down,  became  prebend,  but  resigned  in  1790. 
After  him  came  Charles  Hare,  who  was  succeeded  in  1802  by  Stephen,  son 
of  Bishop  Dickson,''''  who  discharged  the  duties  until  his  death.  He  was  the 
last  non-resident  rector  of  Derrykeighan.  The  curates  of  the  first  half  of  the 
century  were  Redman  Smith,  John  Connor,  and  Richard  Lynam.  The  latter 
was  succeeded  in  1759  by  Robert  Heyland,  who  returns  the  number  of  Roman 
Catholic  families  in  1767  for  parish  of  Ballyrashane,  and  was  incumbent  of 
Coleraine  until  his  death.  His  tombstone  in  Coleraine  churchyard  bears  the 
following: 

Sub    hoc    marmore    requiescit     quantum 

mortale  fuit    Reverend!  rRoberti   Heyland 

per  annos  quinquaginta  hujusce  Parochio 

Rectoris    spiritum    Domino    ac    Salvatori 

Sue  reddidit    die    Octobri   17    1802  Anno 

Aetatis  suo  octogesimo. 

Heyland   was   succeeded   by   Irwin    Stuart,'^'  ancestor   of   the    Ballyhivistock 
family. 

(1)  Annals  of  Deyrykeighan.  Robert  Crawford  held  a  farm  at  Carncullagh,  Dervock,  and  is  buried 
beside  the  east  gable  of  Derrykeighan  old  church,  where  a  simple  headstone  records  his  death,  which 
occurred  in   1719. 

(2)  In  1749  the  lands  of  Armoy  were  sold  by  Lord  Antrim  to  the  son  of  Dr.  Smith,  Bishop  of  Down 
and  Connor.     Armoy  is  still  owned  by  the  Smith  family. 

(3)  For  some  account  of  the   Dickson  family,  see    Ulster  Journal  0/  Arc/urology,  vol.  iii.,  p.  120. 

(4)  I  have  seen  a  very  interesting  note  in  the  handwriting  of  the  late  Charles  G.  Stuart,  J.  P.,  Ballyhivistock, 
wherein  he  traces  his  family  to  a  Robert  Stuart,  a  relative  to  James  I.,  who  obtained  lands  in  the  County 
Cavan  at  the  Plantation.  His  grandson  William  raised  at  his  own  expense  a  regiment,  still  known  as 
"Stuart's  Regiment,"  which  fought  under  William  III.,  but  the  expenses  of  which  the  king  never  refunded. 
Rev.  Irwin  Stuart  was  his  grandson,  and  the  present  Charles  M'D.  Stuart,  is  great  grandson  of  the  erstwhile 
curate  of  Derrykeighan.  There  is  a  tablet  in  the  parish  church  "  to  the  memory  of  Major-General  James 
Stuart,  C.B.,  after  nearly  fifty  years  of  Indian  service,  during  many  of  which  he  filled  the  arduous  and 
responsible  office  of  Military  .Secretary  to  the  Government.  This  veteran  soldier  returned  to  his  native 
land,  where,  on  the  19th  July,  i8s9,  aged  75  years,  he  fell  asleep,  full  of  faith  in  the  atoning  blood  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." 


154 


THE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN. 


It  would  be  interesting  to  know  what  part  the  men  of  Derrykeighan  took 
in  the  fight  which  culminated  in  American  independence.  Certain  it  is  that 
several  who  first  saw  the  light  here  had  settled  in  the  New  World  before  that 
stormy  period.  We  may  be  allowed  to  hazard  the  very  probable  opinion 
that  they  threw  in  their  lot  with  the  Revolutionists. 

We  now  come  to  the  most  stirring  period  in  the  history  of  the  parish 
during  the  last  century;  viz.,  the  Insurrection  of  1798.  That  agrarian 
discontent  existed  for  some  time  prior  to  1798,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that 
the  cattle  were  houghed  on  the  Livery  Hills,  Stranocum,  about  1777;  that  a 
house  was  burned  at  Strone,  Dervock,  at  a  somewhat  later  date ;  and  that 
James  McKinney,  minister  of  Dervock  covenanting  congregation,  was  obliged 
to  go  to  America  for  giving  expression  to  the  prevailing  discontent. 

The  two  most  notable  characters  in  Derrykeighan  were  John  Nevin  '^'  and 
Peter  Lyle;  but  their  careers  have  been  treated  at  such  length  in  a  former 
number  of  this  journal  (vol.   ii.,  p.  87)  that   little  has  been  left  me  to  say. 

Some  years  ago  I  wrote  down  the  following  lines  of  a  ballad,  repeated  by 
John  Ferguson  of  Carnaff,  which  may  be  worth  quoting  here  : 

It's  here's  to  Captain  Nevin,  God  bless  his  lovely  eyes  ; 

It  was  in  Derrykeighan  he  his  men  Hid  exercise. 

They  being  under  arms,  two  "yeos"  he  did  espy, 

When  he  made  them  to  surrender,  and  their  swords  did  occupy. 

O  the  yeomen  of  Ireland,  how  merrily  they'll  go 

Along  with  Captain  Nevin — he's  a  gallani  hero  ! 

The  two  "yeos"  were  of  the  name  of  Coyle  (then  called  Mcllhoyle)  who 
attempted  to  take  Nevin  prisoner;  but  he  turned  the  tables  on  them  by 
lodging  both  in  Dervock  market-house,  from  which  they  were  soon  released. 
The  field  in  which  Nevin  exercised  the  insurgents  is  close  to  Derrykeighan 
village,  and  is  still  styled  by  the  old  people  the  "  Drilly  Knowe."  The  fact  of 
a  farmer  being  able  to  impart  military  discipline  to  the  rustics  would  lend 
countenance  to  the  suggestion  that  he  must  have  been  a  member  of  some 
volunteer  corps,  as  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  from  what  other  quarter  he  could 
have  obtained  any  knowledge  of  military  affairs.'''^' 

James  Moore  of  Lisconnan  had  his  house  burnt,  and  James  Moore  of 
Islandhoe  was  flogged ;  both  were  relatives  of  the  Ballydivity  family.  James 
M'Neill  of  [Jsconnan  and  several  others  escaped  to  the  United  States,  where 
their  Ulster  kith  and  kin  had  fought  in  the  Revolution  a  short  time  previous. 
Robert  Kennedy  of  Islandhoe,  Billy  Laverty  of  Cluntice,  and  Moore  McCurdy, 
were  yeomen.  A  man  named  Bonatyne,  who  lived  at  Carncullagh,  was  the 
only  individual  in  the  parish  paying  with  his  life  the  penalty  of  his 
disloyalty. '•''     In   the   list   of   poor  householders  made  out    in    181 7,   Robert 

(1)  Nevin  was  not  a  native  of  tlit-  parish,  but  lived  at  Kilmoyle.  Den  ykt_-it;lian,  however,  was  the  sphere 
of  his  operation. 

(2)  I  have  lately  been  informed  tliat  Nevin  was  a  member  of  the  Ballymoney  Volunteer  Corps. 

(3)  Annah  oj  Derrylifii^han. 


THE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN.  155 

Bonatyne  (probably  a  son  of  the  United  Irishman)  is  returned  out  of  town- 
land  of  Carncullagh.     The  name  is  now  extinct  in  the  parish. 

On  the  whole,  the  Insurrection  was  rather  a  tame  affair  here;  the  signs  of  the 
fray  being  soon  afterwards  obliterated,  and  the  only  thing  left  to  bear  testimony 
to  the  violence  of  the  times  being  a  few  roofless  houses  with  their  charred  beams. 

Irwin  Stuart  was  appointed  in  1773  to  the  living  of  Ardclinis,'''  and  was 
succeeded  by  Charles  Douglas,  a  native  of  Clough,  and  great  grandson  of 
the  original  Scottish  settler  who  accompanied  William  III.  to  Ireland.'^' 
He  was  prebendary  of  Connor,  1 781- 18 13,  and  remained  in  Derrykeighan 
until  his  death.  Douglas  is  buried  in  the  old  churchyard,  where  the  epitaph 
on  his  tombstone  testifies  to  his  fidelity  to  Derrykeighan.     It  reads  : 

The  Rev.  Charles  Douglas 

died  30th  June,  1 833,  at  the  advanced  age  of  90; 

for  many  years  Prebendary  of  Connor, 

and  which  he  resigned  rather  than  leave  the  Parish, 

the  curacy  of  which  he  served  for  upwards 

of  60  years. 

The  most  memorable  event  in  the  history  of  the  parish,  after  the 
Insurrection,  happened  some  time  early  in  the  twenties.  The  owner  of 
Dervock,  Geo.  Hume  Macartney,  claimed  a  toll  on  every  horse  and  cow 
exhibited  in  Dervock  fair.  This  claim  was  paid  without  Macartney's  right 
ever  being  questioned,  until  John  Nevin  (nephew  of  John  of  '98  memory), 
a  farmer  residing  at  Carnaff,  sent  his  servant,  Dan  McClelland,  with  a 
horse  to  the  fair.'^'  McClelland  had  no  sooner  appeared  than  the  bailiff 
in  charge  demanded  the  customary  dues,  and  was  referred  to  Nevin,  who 
resolutely  refused  to  pay  anything  ;  whereupon  the  horse  was  seized  and 
kept  in  Dervock  for  a  considerable  time.  An  expensive  lawsuit  ensued,  in 
which  Nevin  enjoyed  the  powerful  advocacy  of  no  less  distinguished  an 
advocate  than  Daniel  O'Connell.  The  suit  ended  in  the  complete  victory 
of  Nevin,  and  in  consequence  the  abolition  of  toll.  The  horse  was  afterwards 
known  as  "Custom  Free";  and  old  men  have  mentioned  to  me  with  seeming 
pride  their  once  having  been  on  the  back  of  this  Derrykeighan  equine 
celebrity.'** 

The  minutes  of  Vestry  meetings  during  a  part  (1802-26)  of  the  Rev.  C. 
Douglas's  curacy  have  fallen  into  my  hands,  and  throw  such  a  flood  of  light 
on  Derrykeighan  affairs  that  it  were  much   to   be  wished   the  last  century 

(1)  Annals  of  Derrykeighan. 

(2)  Burke's  Landed  Gentry.      R.  M.  Douglas,  J.P.,  Portballantrae,  is  his  grandson. 

(3)  McClelland  said  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age  at  the  "  rising."  Some  years  ago  it  was  difficult  to  find 
an  old  person  able  to  give  his  or  her  exact  age.  Ihey  generally  reckoned  from  some  event,  such  as  the 
"  rising,"  Hattle  of  Waterloo,  etc.  In  illustration  of  this,  I  have  often  been  told  the  following  story :-  A  farmer 
in  the  locality,  having  occasion  to  give  evidence  in  a  court  of  law,  was  asked  his  age  by  one  of  the  legal 
gentlemen  ;  whereupon  he  replied  :  "  I  cannot  say  ;  but  1  was  born  at  the  '  windy  Michaelmas.'  "  On  the  other 
hand,  through  talking  to  people  of  a  retentive  memory,  I  have  often  been  able  to  fi.x  the  date  of  the  making 
of  a  road,  the  building  of  a  bridge,  etc.,  by  their  telling  me  their  age,  and  what  age  they  were  when  the 
event  happened. 

(4)  Nevin,  who  was  father  of  Dr.  J.  L.  Nevin,  Ballymoney,  was  afterwards  committed  to  Carrickfergus 
gaol  for  shooting  a  hare,  at  the  prosecution  of  John  Montgomery  of  Bcnvarden. 


^6 


THE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN. 


minutes  were  also  forthcoming.  In  1803  the  males  between  the  ages  of  18 
and  45  were  ascertained  to  be  367  for  the  parish  proper,  and  142  for 
DrumtuUagh  ;  total,  509.  In  the  same  year;,^57  17s.  6d.  was  levied  for  the 
support  of  the  militia.  In  1813  it  was  agreed  "that  no  alms  be  given  to 
anyone  but  the  poor  of  our  own  parish,  and  no  one  to  receive  same  without  a 
badge."  In  18 10  the  sum  of  ^50  was  ordered  to  be  levied  off  the  quarterland 
of  Mazies,  being  a  fine  imposed  for  an  unlicensed  still.  Illicit  distillation  was 
at  this  time  common.  In  1817a  return  was  made  to  the  Vestry  of  the  poor 
householders  and  travelling  beggars,  which  shows  us  an  alarming  state  of 
poverty.     The  number  of  heads  of  families  was  found  to  be  120,  representing 


DERRYKEIGHAN    PARISH    ChURCH    (DeRVOCK). 

487  people.  It  was  resolved,  in  1822,  that  the  church  be  repaired  at  a  cost 
of  100  guineas;  and  in  the  same  year  it  appears  some  friction  arose  between 
the  rector  and  the  parishioners  concerning  a  proposal  for  an  increase  of  tithe 
to  jQ^A'^-  The  parishioners  declared  this  would  be  equal  to  the  sum  of 
IS.  8i^d.  per  arable  acre,  whereas  Ballymoney  was  only  paying  i6d.,  and  Billy 
less  than  i5d.  It  was  eventually  agreed  to  pay  ;!^43o  British  currency.  The 
new  rectory  was  built  in  1826,  at  a  cost  of  ^1,598,  of  which  ^1,107  was  lent 
by  Board  of  First  Fruits.'"  It  was  agreed,  in  1828,  to  build  a  new  church,  when 
considerable  dissension  arose  in  regard  to  the  site.  One  party  favoured 
building  on  the  old  spot,  hallowed  by  so  many  memories,  but  another  favoured 
its  erection  in  Dervock.  These  discussions  were  shortly  afterwards  abruptly 
terminated  by  a  charge  of  gunpowder  blowing  up  the  old  building.  This 
diabolical  outrage  was  generally  known  to  be  prompted  by  those  interested  in 

(1)  An'iah  0/  PerryMghan. 


THE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN.  157 

having  the  church  built  in  Dervock.  Tradition  still  tells  the  name  of  the 
perpetrator,  who  was  merely  a  tool  in  more  influential  hands  ;  and,  as  he  was 
under  the  aegis  of  an  aristocratic  party,  no  efforts  were  made  to  bring  him  to 
justice.  The  old  edifice,  so  long  a  "fane  of  prayer"  and  a  centre  of  life  in 
the  parish,  is  now  slowly  cruml)ling  to  ruin,  and  its  ivy-mantled  gables  are  the 
habitation  of  the  starling  and  the  bat.     A  new  church  was  built  at  Dervock,  on 

a  site  given  by Macartney,  and  consecrated  in    1830.      A  loan  of  ^600 

was  made  by  the  Board  of  First  Fruits,  and  ^S^5  "^^^  raised  by  subscription.*'' 
After  the  death  of  Charles  Douglas,  the  next  curate  was  Francis  Dobbs, 
M.A.,  of  the  Castle  Dobbs  family,  who  officiated  here  until  the  death  of 
Stephen  Dickson  in  1849.  He  was  afterwards  promoted  to  the  rectory 
of  Ballintoy,  where  he  died  in  1878,  aged  76.  The  next  rector  was  Thomas 
Hincks.  He  was  ordained  in  1823  as  curate  for  St.  Anne's,  Belfast,  and  was 
appointed  incumbent  of  Culfeightrin  in  1S37.  Whilst  in  Belfast,  the  officers 
of  the  51st  Regiment  presented  him  with  a  piece  of  plate  on  the  departure  of 
that  regiment  from  Belfast.  He  resigned  Derrykeighan  in  1862,  on  his 
appointment  to  the  parish  of  Finvoy,  and  in  1865  was  appointed  Archdeacon 
of  Connor  and  Rector  of  Billy.  His  monument  in  Billy  churchyard  bears  the 
following  inscription  :  "  To  the  memory  of  Thomas  Hincks,  for  upwards  of 
17  years  Archdeacon  of  Connor  and  Rector  of  Billy.  Born  i6th  March,  1796; 
died  28th  March,  1882."  Archdeacon  Hincks  was  succeeded  by  Hartley 
Hodson,  formerly  curate  of  Lisburn,  who  resigned  in  1876,  on  appointment 
to  the  incumbency  of  Lisburn,  where  he  died  some  years  afterwards.  The 
next  rector  was  Hugh  McNeill,  son  of  Alexander  McNeill  of  Gardenvale, 
from  whose  valuable  Annals  of  Derrykeighan  I  have  so  often  quoted.  "  He 
was  ordained  by  Bishop  Davys  of  Peterborough,  in  September,  i860,  for  the 
curacy  of  Burbage,  Leicestershire;  was  curate  of  Derrykeighan,  1867-72,  but 
practically  officiating  minister  of  Drumtullagh ;  and  from  1872  until  his 
appointment  to  this  parish  was  incumbent  of  Loughguile."  Hugh  McNeill 
died  in  1893.  A  memorial  window  in  the  church  in  which  he  ministered 
bears  the  following  inscription :  "  In  loving  memory  of  the  Rev.  Hugh 
McNeill,  M.A.,  seventeen  years  incumbent  of  this  parish,  who  died  27th  May, 
1893,  aged  59  years."  This  gentleman  was  also  rural  dean  of  Carey.  Of  his 
services  to  archaeological  science  I  have  already  spoken.  Of  his  faithful 
services  as  a  parish  minister,  his  zeal  in  the  cause  of  temperance,  and  his 
ever-open  purse  to  the  poor  of  all  denominations,  whether  Churchmen, 
Presbyterian,  or  Roman  Catholic,  it  is  here  unnecessary  to  speak  :  suffice  it 
to  say,  that  these  and  many  other  amiable  qualities  will  serve  to  perpetuate 
the  memory  of  this  veritable  man  of  God.  During  his  prolonged  illness  two 
curates  performed  the  duties  of  the  parish — the  Rev.  Timothy  O'Connell  and 
the  Rev.  William  Bigley  (now  of  Belfast). 

(1)  Ewart's  Handbook. 


158 


THE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN. 


The  Rev.  Hugh  McNeill  was  succeeded  by  the  present  rector,  the  Rev. 
WiUiam  Ford-Hutchinson,  m.a.,  son  of  William  Ford-Hutchinson  of  Stranocum. 
He  was  ordained  to  the  curacy  of  St.  Michael's,  Limerick,  and  was  afterwards 
incumbent  of  Ballymoyer,  Armagh.  The  church  was  renovated  in  1857,  and 
again  in  1878,  at  a  cost  of  ^800.  A  new  organ  was  dedicated  in  1898  by 
Dr.  Welland,  Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor  and  Dromore.  Before  disestab- 
lishment, the  parish  was  worth  upwards  of  ;^3oo  per  annum,  and  is  still 
worth  jQ2oo,  with  glebe  of  forty  acres. 

Anterior  to  1840,  this  was  the  only  parish  church  in  Derrykeighan  ;  but, 
being  situated  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  Drumtullagh  end  of  the 
parish,  it  was  felt  that,  in  order  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  population,  a  church 
should    be   erected    at   Croshan,  about    a   mile    distant    from   the   village   of 

Mosside,  on  a  site  given  by Leslie.     It  was  consecrated  in  1841,'^'  and 

cost  ;^58o,  and  was  in  charge  of  a  curate'"'  until  1875,  when  the  Rev.  John 
Clarke,  b.a.,  was  appointed  incumbent,  and  was  succeeded  in  1882  by  the 
present  incumbent,  the  Rev.  Henry  French,  ordained  1879. 


List  of  Churchwardens  from   1801-22. 

The  names  first  given  represent  the  lower  end  of  the  parish,  and  the  last 
names  the  Drumtullagh  end. 


iSoi. 
1802. 
1803. 
1S04. 
1805. 
1806. 
1807. 


1810. 
1811. 
1812. 
1813. 
1814. 
18.5. 
1816. 
1817. 
1818. 
1819. 
1820. 
1821. 
1822. 


William  Laughlin,  Dervock. 
George  Luke,  Dervock. 
Hugh  Donaghy,  Dervock. 
Benjamin  Lyle,  Dervock. 
James  Kerr,  Ballynaris. 
William  Mcllhose,  Coole. 
William  Purdon,  Ballydivity. 
John  Lyle,  Knockanboy. 
William  Acheson,  Lisconnan. 
Ben.  Given,  jun.,  Lisconnan. 
Robert  Smith,  Stroan. 
James  Gray,  Derrykeighan. 
John  Boyd,  Bellisle. 
Robert  Wynne,  Bellisle. 
Archibald  Gray,  Carncullagh. 
Henry  Smith,  Stroan. 
James  Ross,  Coole. 
James  Doherty,  Dervock. 
Samuel  Patrick,  Carncullagh. 
John  Shields,  Derrykeighan. 
James  Woodside,  Carnaff. 
Robert  Dunkin,  Carncoggy. 


John  McKay,  Mosside. 
Robert  Marshall,  Carnfeogue. 
Alexander  Meban,  jun.,  Kilmoyle. 
Archibald  Gray,  Drumcrottagh. 
Martin  Campbell,  Carnkerin. 
William  McCuUy,  Drumcrottagh. 
Neil  McCambridge,  Edcroan. 
Robert  McConaghy. 
Daniel  McAleese,  jun.,  Carroreagh. 
Martin  Stewart,  Tullybane. 
Nehemiah  Craig,  Islandboy. 
Andrew  Smith,  Mostragee. 
Daniel  McKay,  Mosside. 
John  Jamison,  Carnfeogue. 
John  McGowan,  Carracloghan. 
James  Wallace,  Ballinafeigh. 
James  Meban,  Kilmoyle. 
Alexander  Graham,  Drumcrottagh. 
Alexander  McKeown,  Ederoan. 
Samuel  Miskelly,  Carnfeogue. 
Robert  McKee,  Mosside. 
Robert  Miskelly,  Carnfeogue. 


(1)  Ewart's  Handbook. 

(2)  Rev.  E.  J    Hartiick;   afterwards  of  the  Magdalene  Church,  Belfast. 


the  parish  of  derrykeighan.  1 59 

Dervock  Presbyterian  Congregation. 

There  is,  perhaps,  no  congregation  in  Ulster  in  connection  with  the 
General  x\ssembly  whose  origin  is  involved  in  greater  t)bscurity  than  that  of 
Dervock,  commonly  known  as  CarncuUagh,  and  anciently  as  Derrykeighan. 
Reid  supposes  it  to  have  been  established  in  1646  by  John  Baird,  chaplain  to 
the  Argyle  Regiment,  then  stationed  in  the  Route;  but  adds  in  a  note  that 
Dervock  was  probably  the  congregation  in  which  he  was  settled,  and  fixes  on 
it  because  he  finds  all  the  other  congregations  in  the  district  suj)plied  with 
ministers.  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  there  could  have  been  two  ministers 
supported  by  the  tithes  of  Derrykeighan;  for  it  has  l)een  already  shown  that 
the  rector  (Fullerton)  subscribed  the  covenant,  thereby  maintaining  himself 
minister  of  the  parish  during  the  Presbyterian  ascendency.  The  Presbyterian 
inhabitants  may  have  taken  advantage  of  Baird's  presence  in  Dervock,  and 
built  a  primitive  structure,  which,  after  the  Restoration  in  1661,  served  as  a 
meeting-house  for  worship.  This  is,  however,  mere  conjecture.  When  Baird 
left  is  unknown,  but  it  was  probably  during  the  Cromwellian  rule.  The  next 
minister  was  Robert  Stirling,  who  officiated  at  Dervock  for  some  time  previous 
to  the  Revolution.  He  was  son  of  Alexander  Stirling  of  Clerkland  (near 
Stewarton,  Ayrshire),  who,  besides  Robert,  had  two  other  sons  in  the 
ministry — James  and  John.  The  latter's  son  John  occupied  the  distinguished 
position  of  Principal  of  Glasgow  University  from  1704-172 7.  Robert  Stirling 
left  Dervock  in  1688,  and  officiated  at  Stevenston,  Ayrshire,  until  1695,  when 
he  returned  to  Dervock,  and  died  in  1698.  He  is  mentioned  in  the  Minutes 
of  Synod  of  Ulster  as  attending  the  Synods  of  1697  and  1698;  Archibald  Boyd 
being  elder  in  the  former  year,  and  Mathew  Campbell  in  the  latter. '" 

Stirling  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Thomas,  who  was  ordained  in  June, 
1703.  His  ministry  was  not  without  its  troubles,  he  being  one  of  the  non- 
juring  ministers  who  refused  to  take  the  oath  abjuring  fealty  to  the  Pretender. 
Whether,  like  McBride  and  McCracken,  he  objected  to  take  the  oath  because 
it  obliged  him  to  swear  that  the  Pretender  was  not  the  son  of  James  H., 
or  whether  on  account  of  his  Scottish  descent  he  was  at  heart  a  Jacobite,  is 
now  difficult  to  determine;  but  the  latter  supposition  seems  improbable,  as  we 
find  him,  by  the  Minutes  of  Synod  for  1706,  along  with  some  other  non- 
jurors, owning  "their  just  subjection  to  Her  Majesty,  and  that  it  is  their  duty 
to  pray  for  the  preservaiion  of  a  Protestant  interest."  Although  threatened 
with  the  withdrawal  of  the  Regium  Donum,  and  the  shutting  up  of  the 
meeting-house  windows,  it  is  uncertain  whether  he  was  ever  actually  interfered 
with.      He  died  in  the  charge,  on  the   20th  of   Nov.,    17 18.'-'     The  Stirling 

(1)  Boyd  lived  at  CarncuUagh  and  Campbell  at  Ballylusk.  Campbell's  monument  is  inscribed  thus: 
"  Here  lieth  the  body  of  Matiiew  Campbell,  who  departed  this  life  26th  Dec,  1738  ;  aged  76  years." 
A  descendant  still  occupies  the  farm.  One  of  the  family  was  the  late  James  Campbell,  Sub-Inspector  R.I.C.  ; 
and  another  one  held  a  responsible  posit.ion  as  a  civil  engineer  in  India,  where  he  was  drowned. 

(2)  K.  M.  Douglas.  Hortballantrae  ;  Alexander  M'Neill,  Garden  vale  ;  Dr.  P.  G  Camac,  Derrykeighan; 
and  Dr.  Field's  daughter,  the  wife  of  Professor  Dugar..  Queen's  College,  Belfast,  are  descended  from 
Thomas  Stirling  of  non-juring  memory.  Dr.  Mitchell,  Vice-President  of  Glasgow  Archaeological  Society, 
has  favoured  me  with  an  interesting  sketch  of  the  clerical  family  of  Stirling. 


[6o 


IHE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN. 


tombstone  in  the  old  churchyard   is  inscribed  in  Roman  capitals  round  tht 
ed'je,  thus  : 


HERE  LAYS"PE  BODY 


Besides  Robert's  wife,  the  stone  doubt- 
less bore  a  record  of  Thomas's  death  ;  but 
this  has  been  obliterated.  All  trace  of 
the  letters  and  the  arms  on  the  stone, 
which  is  now  broken,  are  undecipherable. 
According  to  tradition,  it  was  during 
the  ministry  of  Thomas  Stirling  that  the 
meeting-house  was  removed  from  the 
Strahan  river  to  a  field  on  the  other  side 
of  the  road  from  where  it  now  stands. 

The  next  minister  was  John  Orr,  "a 
probationer  from  Scotland,"  who  was 
ordained  in  1723.  Little  is  known  of 
him.  He  died  in  1745,  and  his  tomb- 
stone, beside  the  Stirling  one  in  the 
graveyard,  is  inscribed  thus  : 

HERE  LYETH  •  Y  ■  BODY 
OF  •  Y  •  REVEREND  •  lOHN 
ORR  MINIS  OF  CAR 
NCOLLOGH  WHO 

DEPARTED         THIS       •      L 
IFF       Y       5      d       OF       DEC 
1745         AGED     •     58 

The  next  minister  was  a  County  Derry 
man,  Joseph  Douglas,  who  was  ordained 
in  April,  T751.  He  lived  with  his  brother, 
who  held  a  farm  in  the  townland  of 
Coole.  It  was  during  his  time  the 
meeting-house  was  removed  to  its  present 
site,  where  Lord  ALicartney  gave  the 
congregation  a  grant  of  the  ground  in 
perpetuity,  at  the  yearly  rent  of  5/-. 
Q3XdVd3Q   OHM  H  Douglas  died  in    1 799, '"  having,   through 

infirmity,  resigned  in  1790,  when  Alexander  Martin  was  ordained  as  assistant. 
He  was  of  the  family  of  Martin  of  Fort  MacMailin,  and  of  the  same  family 
as  Sir  Samuel  Martin.      Martin  died  in  1S35,'"'  and  was  buried  in  the  ground 

(1)  MUs  Rebecca  Douglas  of  Oervock  is  his  grand-niece. 

(2)  The  Rev.  Ale.xander  Martiji's  grandson,  R.  C.  Martin,  solicitor,  Ballynioney,  has  favoured  me  with 
a  work,  formerly  in  possession  of  his  late  uncle,  Rev.  E.  T.  Martin,  Dundonald,  printed  for  family  circulation 
only,  entitled  The  Ash  Manuscripts,  where,  among  many  other  subjects  treated,  the  connection  of  the  Ash 
family  with  the  Martins  is  traced.  It  is  as  follows :- Stephen  Ash,  brother  of  the  historian  of  the  siege  of 
l-)eriy,  took  the  name  of  Holland  after  his  mother.  His  daughter  Elizabeth  married  John  Thomson,  minister 
of  Macosciuin,  son  of  Colonel  Thomson,  and  himself  at  one  time  a  captain  in  the  army.  His  daughter,  Mary 
Edwards  Thomson,  married  James  Whiteside,  minister  of  Tobbermore,  and  of  the  same  family  as  Chief- 
Justice  Whiteside,  whose  daughter  Sarah  married  Alexander  Martin,  minister  of  Hervock,  and  representative 
of  the  llissetts.  An  incomplete  copy  of  the  Ash  Manusoipts  was  borrowed  by  the  late  Rev.  E.  T.  Martin 
of  Dundonald  from  the  Rev.  Geo.  Hill  to  whom  it  had  been  presented  by  the  owner,  the  late  Mrs.  Alexander 
Boyd,  of  the  Manor  House,  Ballycastle. 


THE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN.  ibl 

attached  to  his  own  meeting-house,  where  an  olielisk  bears  the  following 
inscription:  "This  monument  was  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  Rev.  Alex. 
Martin,  in  testimony  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was  held,  by  a  grateful 
and  affectionate  people";  and  on  another  part:  "Rev.  Alex.  Martin  was  for 
48  years  minister  of  the  congregation  of  Dervock,  and  died  21st  Sept.,  1838, 
aged  77  yenrs." 

When  Martin  resigned  the  active  duties  of  the  ministry,  he  obtained  as  his 
successor  and  assistant  Joseph  Bellis,  who  was  ordained  in  September,  1827. 
It  was  during  his  ministry  (182 7- 1835)  that  a  new  meeting-house  was  built, 
the  congregation  subscribing  ^500  in  less  than  a  month.  But  although  this 
happened  only  sixty-four  years  ago,  yet,  so  careless  have  been  the  office- 
bearers with  regard  to  congregational  records,  that  there  is  no  document  extant 
showing  the  subscribers'  names.  About  this  time  there  was  a  belfry  erected 
in  the  session-house ;  but  the  bell  having  been  stolen,  its  sound  never 
summoned  the  Presbyterians  of  Dervock  to  worship.  Shortly  afterwards,  the 
ladies  of  the  congregation  presented  the  Rev.  Joseph  Bellis  with  a  pulpit-gown; 
and,  on  a  certain  Sunday,  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Simpson  of  Portrush  attempted 
to  introduce  it,  when  a  scene  ensued,  in  consequence  of  which  the  gown  was 
laid  aside  for  a  number  of  years. 

A  local  votary  of  the  muse,  v/hose  "Auld  Licht "  sentiments  are  evident, 
composed  the  following  lines,  which  may  be  worth  quoting  : 

Alas,  what  pride  and  insolence, 
Mix'd  up  with  female  impudence, 
To  think  that  we  who  worship  here 
Would  gie  oor  priest  a  cloak  tae  wear  ! 
No;  nae  surrender  tae  the  cloak, 
Tae  Prelacy,  nor  yet  tae  Pope; 
But  we,  as  Presbyterians  here, 
Will  worship  God  in  humble  fear. 

The  Rev.  Joseph  Bellis  died  in  July,  1872  ;  Alexander  Field  having  been 
ordained  as  his  assistant  on  September  2,  1857.  A  manse  was  built  in  1877, 
and  the  meeting-house  rebuilt,  at  a  cost  of  ^1,100,  in  1883,  of  which  the 
congregation  subscribed  ^500.  A  lecture-hall  has  recently  been  erected, 
and  there  are  two  stained-glass  windows  in  the  meeting-house  in  memory 
of  John  Mclntyre  and  his  wife,  of  New  York,  and  formerly  belonging 
to  this  old-established  congregation.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Field  is  clerk  of  the 
Route  Presbytery.  (Authorities:  Reid,  Killen,  Minutes  of  Synod  of  Ulster, 
Dr.  Field's  opening  statement,  18S4,  and  tradition.) 

(To  be  continued.) 


personal  IRccoHcctions  of  the  ©CGinnino  of  tbe 
Century 

By   THOMAS    McTEAR. 
EniTED,  WITH  Notes,  by  Francis  Joseph  Bigger,  m.r.i.a. 

( Realers  7Vi/l  observe  that  this  account,  relating:;  lo  events  which  occurred  at  the  beginning 
of  the  century,  wa<:  'wriitcn  ab,itit   1S82.  ^ 

(  Continued  Irortt  page  So,  vol.  v.  ) 

EA  VIEW  came  next,  on  the  Shore  Road,  the  residence  of 
Robert  (ietty,  who  married  the  eldest  daughter  of  Nicholas 
drinishaw  of  Whitehouse,  and  whose  only  son,  Edmund 
Getty,  was  so  well  known  as  the  first  secretary  of  the 
Belfast  Harbour  Board  of  Commissioners.  On  the  death 
of  Robert  Getty,  this  place  was  sold  to  John  Boomer,  cotton  spinner.  On 
his  death,  his  son  James  succeeded  him  ;  married  Jane  Quin  of  Newry,  and 
died  without  children.  His  widow,  some  years  after  his  death,  married  her 
cousin,   Isaac  Andrews  of  Comber,  and   has   lately  died,  leaving  no   family. 


View  from  Thompson's  Bank,  Shore  Road. 

Froi't  a  Pholo.  in  f<ossession  of  Herbert  Hiifhfs. 

The  wife  of  William  Ware,  organist  of  the  Parish  Church,  had  a  boarding- 
school  here  in  1794.  Sea  View  is  now  the  property  of  Boomer  Charters 
by  the  will  of  James  Boomer.'" 

We  next  come  to  Eortwilliam,  a  fine  old  place,  then  the  residence 
of  the  Langtry  family.  (}eorge  Langtry  was  the  head  of  the  firm  of 
Langtry  &  Herdman,  who  owned  a  fleet  of  vessels  trading  from  Belfast 
to  London  and  Liverpool  during  many  years,  and  latterly  of  steamers  for  the 
same  purpose.      He  had  many  sons  and  daughters;  but  none  of  the  family 

(1)  James  Johnston  now  resides  there. 


PERSONAI,    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY.       1 63 

is  now  known  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  demesne  was  sold,  some  years 
ago,  to  WilHam  Valentine,  who  formed  it  into  building-ground,  under  the 
name  of  Fortwilliam  Park.  The  old  house  is  yet  standing,  the  residence 
of  Miss  Murray.'" 

Ringan,   or   Ringsend  point,'-'  comes  next,  on   which  stood  a  house,  the 

residence  of  •  Davison.       It  was  some  years  ago  pulled  down,  and  the 

land    added  to  Mount  \'ernon,  which  was  then  the  residence  of  •  Adair, 

on  whose  death  it  was  sold  to  the  late  Hill  Hamilton  ;  and  his  sisters 
still  occupy  it. '■"'*  Lowwood  adjoins,  then  the  residence  of  John  Cunningham, 
another  partner  in  the  original  Commercial  Bank,  who,  on  removing  to 
Macedon  in  iSii,  sold  it  to  John  Thomson;  and  on  his  death  in  [882  it 
was  sold  to  Frederick  Kinahan,  wine  and  spirit  merchant,  of  J^elfast — 
that  is,  the  large  house  and  seventeen  acres  (part  of  seventy  acres)  of  the 
demesne  around  it — for  ^6,000. 

Parkmount  comes  next,  then  the  residence  of  Hugh  Cairns,  who  was 
never  married.  His  brother  Nathaniel  lived  in  Dublin,  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  son  William,  who  was  the  father  of  Hugh  MacCalmont  Cairns, 
Lord  Cairns  of  Garmoyle.  The  demesne  contains  over  one  hundred  acres, 
extending  from  the  shore  of  the  lough  to  the  Antrim  Road,  with  fine  timber 
of  old  growth.  The  old  house  was  standing  at  this  time  (1810),  a  long 
low  building,  not  far  from  the  road.  It  was  pulled  down,  when  Hugh  Cairns 
built  the  present  large  mansion;  but  its  site  is  well  marked  by  the  noble 
old  trees,  still  standing,  which  were  on  each  side  of  the  short  avenue.''"  The 
entire  land  and  the  new  mansion  were  sold  a  good  many  years  ago  to  John 
McNeile,  whose  son,  Henry  Hugh  McNeile,  now  resides  there.  There  was 
then,  and  still  is,  next  to  the  above,  a  large  piece  of  land,  on  which  still  stands 
the  ruins  of  the  ancient  Green  Castle'^';  and  bounding  this,  on  the  north,  is  a 
very  ancient  road,  leading  from  the  shore  to  the  Cave  Hill,  and  which  the  late 
James  Grimshaw  swore,  in  the  Cave  Hill  right-of-way  trial,  was  a  bridle  road, 
in  his  early  days,  for  horse  and  foot,  past  MacArt's  fort  over  the  hill  to  Glenavy. 
This  old  road  is  now  known  as  Gray's  Loanin'.  Next  to  it  comes  Greencastle 
village,  known  then  as  Limestones,  because  limestone  was  laid  down  there, 
from  the  quarries  at  Whitewell,  for  shipment  at  a  quay.  From  this  village 
of  Limestones  the  coach  road  proceeds,  passing  through  Glengormley  and 
Molusk,  to  Antrim,  Ballymena,  and  Derry.  On  the  right  of  this  road  was 
Staghall,  and  the  very  ancient  cottage  and  wood  known  as  The  Throne  on  the 
left.     The  Throne  was  purchased  some  years  ago  by  John  Martin  of  Shrigley, 

(1)  Now  occupied  by  R.  W.  Murray,  j.f. 

(2)  This  place  was  long  used  as  a  burial-ground  for  suicides  and  others,  and  may  even  have  had  an  earlier 
use,  as  Bishop  Reeves  construes  the  name  to  be  a  corruption  of  St.  Ninian.  It  was  the  probable  site  of  an  early 
church.  Such  sites  in  Ireland,  when  unused  for  ecclesiastical  purposes,  often  became  the  burial-grounds  of 
unbaptized  children,  strangers,  suicides,  and  others.  The  actual  site  of  these  interments  was  on  the  land 
side  of  the  Shore  Road,  on  the  rising  ground  immediately  north  of  Fortwilliam  Park  gates. 

(3)  Now  occupied  by  Samuel  Lawther,  j.p. 

(4)  The  herons  {ardca  cinerea)  have  built   here  for  over  sixty  years. 

iri)  Only  the  site  now  remains,  the  crumbling  walls  of  the  old  castle  ha\  ing  been  removed  about  twenty 
years  ago,  and  used  in  the  building  of  an  adjoining  villa. 

M 


164      PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY. 

Co.  Down,  where  he  built  a  convalescent  hospital,  in  memory  of  his  son 
Samuel,  and  presented  it  to  the  Royal  Hospital  of  Belfast.  It  is  a  most 
beautiful  spot,  and  well  adapted  for  such  purposes. 

We  then  come  to  the  townland  of  Ballygolan,  or  Upper  Whitehouse. 
Nicholas  Grimshaw,  who  came  to  this  country  as  an  artizan  from  Lancashire, 
about  the  year  1772,  to  commence  the  spinning,  weaving,  and  printing  of 
cotton  goods,  acquired  this  townland  by  fee-farm  grant  from  the  Marquis  of 
Donegall,  which  gave  him  sole  right  to  valuable  springs  of  water  coming  from 
the  high  land  of  Carnmoney  :  a  considerable  extent  of  watershed.  He  planted 
the  trees,  still  known  as  "The  Long  Wood,"  around  the  entire  estate,  which 
trees  he  brought  from  England.  He  made  the  water-courses,  built  mills, 
print-works,  and  a  good  portion  of  the  village  of  Upper  Whitehouse  as  dwell- 
ings for  his  workers.  He  was  financially  assisted  by  a  man  named  Wilson, 
who  had  the  capital  :  Grimshaw  had  the  technical  knowledge.  Nicholas 
Grimshaw  had  a  very  large  family  (I  think  eight  sons  and  two  daughters), 
and  he  built  Longwood  House  for  himself  and  his  eldest  son,  James ; 
Glas-na-Bradon'"  for  his  son  Thomas;  Ballygolan  Lodge  for  his  son  Edmund, 
and  Frogmore  for  another  son.  All  these  houses  are  still  standing  :  but 
although  every  one  of  his  sons  married  and  had  large  families,  none  of  the 
male  descendants  of  Nicholas  Grimshaw  are  now  found  in  the  neighbourhood. 
A  great  many  died  young,  and  others  were  scattered  abroad.  The  mills  have 
been  converted  into  spinning  and  weaving  factories,  carried  on  to  a  large 
extent  by  strangers. 

Merville   comes   next,   then   the   residence  of  Blair,  who   married 

Miss  Ogilby.  She  survived  him,  and  married  Major  Rowan ;  and  on  their 
death  the  place  was  sold  to  Sir  Edward  Coey,  who  was  a  provision 
merchant  in  Belfast,  and  Mayor  of  the  town.  The  grounds  of  Merville 
extend  to  the  ancient  village  of  Whitehouse,  which  at  that  time  was  confined 
to  the  two  rows  of  cottages  south  of  the  bridge.  It  takes  its  name  from  the 
old  house,  surrounded  with  trees,  situated  on  a  point  of  land  projecting 
a  short  way  into  the  lough,  immediately  after  passing  the  bridge  over  the 
Glas-na-Bradon.  This  house  is  very  old,  and  is  now  just  as  it  was  described 
when  W^illiam  the  Third  landed  at  Carrickfergus  in  16S8.  It  is  called 
"The  Whitehouse"  on  a  chart  of  the  lough  of  350  years  ago.  The  sailing 
directions  mention  it  as  the  "  Whitehouse  on  the  point,"  and  as  a  landmark  for 
clearing  Holywood  bank  ;  and  this  gives  the  name  to  the  house,  the  village, 
and  the  townland.'"' 

After  crossing  the  bridge,  there  was  no  other  house  on  the  seaside  until 
we  come  to  Macedon.  This  is  a  very  old  place,  as  may  be  seen  by  the 
large  trees  surrounding  it.     The  house,  during  the  last  century,  was  small, 

(1)  This  is  the  ancient  name  of  the  river  which  runs  from  Glengormley  to  Whitehouse,  passing  close  to 
Carnmoney  church.     It  means  the  river  of  the  speckled  fish. 

(2)  Behind  the  Whitehouse  are  the  ruins  of  an  old  fortified  plantation  house  or  bawn,  which  will  be 
noticed  separately  at  a  future  date. 


PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OV    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY.       165 

until  Alexander  George  Stewart  built  the  present  house  around  it,  and  he  then 
gave  it  the  name  of  Macedon,  in  order,  it  was  said,  that  he  might  be  styled 
Alexander  of  Macedon.  He  sold  it  to  Cunningham  Greg  in  1802,  and 
he  built  the  present  front  prior  to  his  removal  to  Ballymenock,  Holywood, 
when  it  was  sold  to  John  Ewing,  from  whose  representatives  John 
Cunningham  purchased  it  in  1813;  and  it  has  been  occupied  by  his  family 
ever  since.'''  Next  came  Hazelbank,  which  was  also  the  property  of  the 
same  Alexander  G.  Stewart,  who  sold  it,  in  1796,  to  David  McTear.  These 
houses  stood,  as  they  do  now,  on  an  elevation  of  about  sixty  feet  above  sea 
level  ;  and  the  banks  to  the  sea,  and  up  the  glen  to  the  road,  being  at  that 
time  covered  with  a  thick  wood  of  natural  hazels,  gave  the  name  Hazelbank. 
Some  years  after  the  death  of  David  McTear,  it  was  sold  to  James  Thompson, 
who  enlarged  the  house;  and  on  taking  possession  of  Macedon,  after  the 
death  of  his  sister-in-law  (Miss  Anne  Cunningham),  he  sold  it  to  James  Gray, 
who  pulled  down  this  house,  and  built  on  the  same  site  the  present 
mansion.  As  he  had  paid  ^6,750  as  the  price  of  what  James  Thompson 
had  reduced  to  9^  acres,  the  land  alone  thus  cost  him  about  ^700  per 
statute  acre,   showing  the  value  placed  on  this  beautiful  site. 

Next  to  this  was  the  house  and  grounds  occupied  by  Robert  Bradshavv,'-'who 
was  another  of  the  partners  in  the  Commercial  Bank.  After  his  death,  it  was 
sold  to  Mrs.  Clewlow,  who  threw  down  the  old  house,  and  built  a  superior  one 
on  the  same  site.  On  her  death,  it  was  sold  to  Hugh  McCalmont,  who  threw 
down  this  comparatively  new  house,  added  the  land  to  his  own,  but  allowed 
some  of  the  ruins  to  remain,  which  still  stand  near  the  avenue  to  Abbeylands. 

x\bbeylands  was  then  occupied  by Haslet,  who  sold  it,  about   1803,  to 

the  late  Hugh  McCalmont,  and  is  still  owned  and  occupied  by  his  family. 

Woodbank  adjoins,  then  the  residence  of  Hill.      Next  to  it  was  Abbey- 

ville,  the  residence  of  Maxwell  Lepper,  who  sold  it  to  the  widow  of  the 
late  Thomas  Sinclaire  of  Belfast,  who  left  it  to  her  nephew,  the  late  Rev. 
R.  W.  Bland,  of  St.  George's  Church,  and  it  is  now  occupied  by  his  son, 
General  Bland,  r.e. 

The  road  here  descends  to  water  level,  where  is  the  village  of  Whiteabbey, 
then  consisting  of  a  row  of  cottages  between  it  and  the  lough,  occupied  chiefly 
by  the  workers  in  Whiteabbey  Cotton  Mill,  which  stood  on  nearly  the  same 
site    as    the    present    spinning    and    weaving    factory.       It     was   owned    and 

worked  by Reid,  who  lived  there;  but  I  believe  that   Robert  Thomson 

of  Jennymount  was  the  real  owner.*-'' 

We  will  now  return  to  the  village  of  Whitehouse.  From  the  bridge  there 
was  no  house  on  the  land  side  except  a  farm-house,  which  stood  about 
midway  between  it   and  a  public-house,  now  called  Croom,  and   a    row  of 

(1)  It  is  now  occupied  by  James  Thompson,  j.p.,  who  married  his  granddaughter. 

(2)  R.  Bradshaw  served  his  apprenticeship  with  Mussenden,  Adair  &  Bateson,  bankers  and  merchants. 

(3)  It  was  afterwards  owned  by  William  Cowan  &  Co.,  and  now  by  the  Whiteabbey  Bleaching  Co.,  Ltd. 


1 66      PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY. 

houses,  now  much  enlarged  and  called  Moygara.  The  road  to  Doagh  and 
Antrim,  commencing  at  this  point,  was  made  about  this  time  (1812). 
By  the  making  of  it,  a  small  piece  of  land,  about  an  acre,  which  was  a 
severance  from  the  adjoining  farm,  seemed  to  be  overlooked  by  the  county 
authorities,  and  on  it  a  man  named  Alexander  Douglas  built  a  cottage,  and 
lived  there  with  his  sister  for  many  years,  without  being  asked  for  or  paying 
any  rent.  It,  therefore,  became  his  freehold.  After  his  death,  Mrs.  James 
Cunningham  purchased  it  for  ^300,  and  built  on  it  the  present  Meadow 
Bank.  The  farm  next  to  it  was  occupied  by  a  farmer  named  Barkleymore, 
and  his  buildings  stood  on  nearly  the  site  of  the  present  Abbeyhill.  His 
farm  is  now  partly  belonging  to  Abbeyhill  and  partly  to  Rushpark,  which 
stood  on  about  the  same  site  as  the  present  house,  and  was  occupied  by 
a  family  named  Joice.  It  was  afterwards  owned  by  Randal  Currell,  who 
pulled  down  the  old  house  and  built  the  present  one  about  forty  years  ago. 
On  his  death,  it  was  sold  to  John  McNeile,  from  whom  Robert  James 
Tennant  purchased  it,  and  it  is  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son. 

Maryfield,  a  long,  low,  thatched  house,  came  next,  owned  and  occupied 
by  Captain  Owens  and  his  family,  who  was  then  chief  boatman  of  the  water- 
guard  of  Whiteabbey.  I  believe  not  one  of  a  very  large  family  now 
survives.  The  house  and  ground  have  been  lately  sold  to  Jas.  Hind  of 
Lismara.     This  cottage  appears  exactly  as  it  did  eighty  years  ago. 

Denty  Hall  comes  next.  It  then  consisted  of  a  very  ancient  two  storied 
house  and  farm  buildings,  at  the  top  of  the  hill  on  the  road  side,  and  was 
owned  and  occupied  by  Captain  Denty,  together  with  an  extensive  farm, 
which  comprised  the  present  Lismara  ;  all  the  land  of  Abbeylands  on  the 
west  side  of  the  road  from  Maryfield  to  the  Irish  highway,  and  back  to  the 
road  ;  from  thence  to  Carnmoney,  and  the  lands  of  Abbotscroft.  About  the 
year  1812,  Hugh  McCalmont  and  David  McTear  purchased  from  the  heirs  of 
Captain  Denty  this  entire  property  on  joint  account,  but  did  not  obtain 
possession  of  most  part  of  it  until  the  sub-leases  had  expired.  On  a  settlement 
several  years  after,  the  buildings  of  Denty  Hall  and  the  farm  immediateh- 
attached  to  it,  and  the  land  to  seaward  of  the  road  adjoining  Hazelbank,  were 
allotted  to  David  McTear,  and  all  the  remainder  to  Hugh  McCalmont. 
On  this  land  stand  the  ruins  of  the  White  Abbey.  These  ruins  were  then 
extensive,  with  a  graveyard  attached,  reaching  into  the  garden  of  Abbotscroft. 
Nothing  now  remains  but  the  walls  of  the  ancient  church,  covered  with  ivy.'" 
This  building  is  also  laid  down  on  the  old  chart  of  the  lough,  mentioned 
above,  as  a  landmark  united  with  the  White  House  on  the  shore,  for 
guiding  vessels  past  Holywood  bank.  Both  buildings  being  whitewashed, 
and  not  then  surrounded  by  trees  or  other  obstructions,  were  very  visible 
objects    from    the    sea.      As    the    White    House   gave    the    name   to    that 

(1)  See  page  175. 


PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNINf;    OF    THE    CENTURY.       1 67 

village  and  townland,  so  also  the  White  Abbey,  then  (about  350  years  ago) 
described  on  the  chart  as  in  ruins,  gave  the  name  of  Whiteabbey  to  that 
village  and  townland.  It  is  an  ancient  building,  but  all  records  of  it  are  lost, 
and  nothing  certain  known  of  its  history. 

There  was  no  other  house  standing  on  the  west  side  of  the  Shore 
Road  until  you  reached  the  village  of  Whiteabbey,  already  described  ;  but 
the  ancient  Irish  highway  intervened  as  at  present,  and  on  the  hill  at  the  south 
side  of  this  road  stood  Deniyat,  the  residence  of  Adam  McClean.  It  was  a 
large  cottage  house  similar  to  Rushpark,  Hazelbank,  Abbeylands,  and  others 
of  the  neighbourhood  in  those  days.  It  was  sold  to  Samuel  Gibson  Getty, 
M.P.  for  Belfast,  who  sold  it  to  Richard  Davison,  who  also  became  M.P.  for 
Belfast.  He  pulled  down  the  old  house,  and  on  its  site  built  the  present 
house,  and  changed  its  name  to  "The  Abbey."  On  his  death,  Sir  (.'harles 
Lanyon  became  the  owner.  He  also  was  elected  M.P.  for  Belfast.  Thus, 
Belfast  had  three  Members  of  Parliament,  representing  the  borough  in 
succession,  resident  in  the  same  house. 

This  old  road  joined  another  old  road,  starting  from  Ballygolan  House, 
in  Upper  Whitehouse,  at  a  point  a  little  below  Carnmoney  church ;  proceeded 
past  this  church,  over  very  steep  hills,  and  formed  one  of  the  roads  from 
Belfast  to  Antrim,  Ballymena,  etc.,  in  iSoo.  The  road  I  have  mentioned 
as  starting  from  Greeiicastle  joined  this  road  at  a  place  where  it  cut  off  a 
good  many  of  the  worst  hills,  and  was  a  great  improvement  to  coach  travelHng. 
\Mien  the  present  road  from  Belfast  was  constructed  about  1820,  direct 
through  Clifton  Street,  with  easy  gradients  along  the  foot  of  Cave  Hill,  it 
was  a  greater  improvement  still,  and  now  forms  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
approaches  to  the  town. 

I  have  now  described  the  Antrim  side  of  Belfast  Lough,  as  far  as  White- 
abbey,  as  it  appeared  to  me  previous  to  1S20;  and  as  an  instance  of  the  muta- 
bility of  all  human  affairs,  I  will  here  remark  that  the  only  families  resident  on 
this  five  miles  of  road,  in  the  year  1810,  who  are  now  found  there,  are  confined 
to  the  Thomsons  of  Castleton,  and  the  McTears  of  Abbotscroft.'"  From 
Whiteabbey  to  Carrickfergus,  a  distance  of  another  five  miles,  I  think  there 
will  not  be  found  one  family.  My  father  used  to  tell  us,  that  when  he 
came  first  to  live  at  Hazelbank  in  1796,  he  was  accustomed  to  ride  on  horse- 
back to  and  from  Belfast  at  low  water  along  the  sandy  beach,  which  was 
perfectly  hard,  containing  abundance  of  cockles  and  other  shell-fish  and  ' 
shrimps.  The  water  of  the  lough  also  yielded  such  quantities  of  fine  salmon 
that  it  was  sold  at  3d.  per  pound.  At  that  time  the  population  of  the  town 
did  not  exceed  15,000;  the  water  of  the  Lagan  was  clear  and  pure;  the 
thoroughfare  on  the  streets  was  light,  and  therefore  little  or  no  mud  and  silt 
were  deposited  on  the  banks.     Now  the  case  is  different.     When  the  Belfast 

(1)  Both  families  have  now  ceased  to  live  in  these  residences. 


I  68      PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY. 

and  Ballymena  railway  was  first  projected,  it  was  one  main  object  to  carry  it 
along  these  banks,  near  low-water  mark,  and  thereby  reclaim  some  thousands 
of  acres  of  land  lying  between  the  town  and  \Vhitehouse.  At  that  time, 
however,  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty  had  the  custody  of  all  such  estuaries, 
and  put  their  veto  on  the  line  being  carried  further  out  than  it  is  at 
present. 

I  have  now  described  all  I  consider  necessary,  as  it  appeared  to  me 
previous  to  1820,  respecting  the  Shore  Road  from  Belfast  to  Carrickfergus. 
I  may  be  prejudiced  in  favour  of  my  native  district,  but  I  cannot  avoid 
considering  it  among  the  most  beautiful  around  Belfast. 


U  j|<^     "'^fr^, 


ik. 


Ritchie's  Dock,  Belfast. 

»  From  an  Original  Painting  at  ArdrieM^ 

Let  us  now  return  to  the  town,  and  continue  my  recollection  of  it  in  the 
first  quarter  of  the  century.  The  last  building  on  the  Antrim  side  towards 
the  lough  was  the  shipbuilding  yard  of  Ritchie  &  MacLaine,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Harbour  Commissioners'  ground  and  the  graving  docks.  The  building 
yard  of  William  Ritchie  was  on  the  west  side  of  these  graving  docks.  Then 
came  an  inlet  from  the  river,  called  Ritchie's  Dock,  running  up  to  the  front 
of  the  present  Sinclair's  Seaman's  meeting-house,  at  the  foot  of  Great  Czeorge's 
Street ;  at  the  end  was  an  inclined  plane  for  landing  timber,  which  was 
then  chiefly  discharged  in  Garmoyle  pool,  and  floated  up.  This  dock  has  long 
since  been  filled  up,  and  is  now  called  Corporation  Square,  and  the  Harbour 
Office  stands  where  was  the  shipbuilding  yard  of  William  Ritchie.  Donegall 
Quay  (then  called  Tomb's  Quay)  commenced  at  the  entrance  to  this  Ritchie's 
Dock,  and  continued  to  the  entrance  of  Lime-kiln  Dock,  which  extended 
along  a  line  of  warehouses  to  very  nearly  the  foot  of  Waring  Street.  At  the 
corner  of  Waring  Street  and  Tomb  Street   was  the  entrance  to  the  Weigh- 

(1)  This  picture  wa.s  painted  by  R.  Warrington,  a  member  of  the  Belfast  Association  of  .Artists,  and  is  a 
companion  to  one  by  the  same  artist,  depicting  the  same  place  when  the  Aurora  was  launched,  in  the  possession 
of  the  late  Lavens  M.  Ewart. 


PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNINC,    OF    THE    CENTURY. 


169 


house,  a  large  yard  surrounded  by  sheds,  used  as  the  butter  market — which 
was  then  packed  in  crocks  and  firkins  for  exportation  in  large  quantities. 
Here  stood  the  O'Neill  coronation  chair,  now  in  the  Belfast  Museum.  In 
the  adjacent  streets,  the  pork  market  was  held  every  morning  during  winter, 
and  the  inspection  and  weighing  of  the  carcasses  were  done  in  the  weigh-house 
yard  after  the  butter  market  was  over.  Greg's,  or  Chichester,  Quay  then 
fronted  the  river  for  a  short  distance,  where  it  met  Hanover  Dock,  which 
ran  up  Queen's  Square  as  far  as  Princes  Street ;  into  it  fell  the  Farset  river, 
which  flows  down  High  Street,  culverted  over.  On  the  north-east  side 
of  Hanover  Dock  was  the  Ballast  Office,  or  Harbour  Office,  of  that  time.    The 


1.  y  V        ^ 


View  up  High  Street  from  the  Hanover  Dock. 

From  a  Drawing  by  T.  M.  Baynes. 

Custom  House  stood  on  the  south-east  side  of  this  dock,  and  the  building, 
no  longer  the  Custom  House,  still  exists.'"  The  dock  itself  became  a 
nuisance  of  mud  and  filth,  and  was,  in  1848,  filled  up,  and  called  Queen's 
Square.  From  the  corner  of  the  Custom  House,  Custom  House  Quay 
continued  to  Ann  Street,  at  the  foot  of  which  the  first  bridge  over  the  Lagan 
was  built  about  1682- 1688.  It  was  called  the  Long  Bridge:  and  long  indeed  it 
was,  for  it  was  built  on  twenty-one  arches.  Several  of  these  arches  were  built 
up  to  strengthen  it,  as  it  had  been  much  injured  by  the  army  and  artillery  of 
General  Schomberg  marching  over  it,  on  his  way  from  Groomsport,  where 
he  had  landed  in  1689.  King  William  landed  afterwards,  in  June,  1690, 
at  Carrickfergus.  Until  18 14,  there  was  no  other  bridge  over  the  Lagan  for 
three  miles  up  the  river  at  Shaw's  Bridge.  This  Long  Bridge  was  replaced 
about  forty  years  ago  by  the  present  Queen's  Bridge ;  and  another  bridge, 
called  Albert  Bridge,  was  also  built  about  half  a  mile  further  up,  as  a  more 
direct  route  through  Ballymacarrett  to  Newtownards.    There  were  no  buildings 

(1)  Now  occupied  by  G.  &  J.  Burns. 


tyo      PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNINC,    OF    THE    CENTURY. 

or  quays  then  on  the  banks  of  the  river  in  Ijallyniacarretr.  All  was  unsiglitly 
mud  banks  opposite  BeH'ast  quays. 

The  house  of  Robert  Hyndman  came  first 
after  passing  the  bridge,  with  his  large  bottle- 
house  adjoining,  built  by  Benjamin  Edwards  : 
now  converted  into  Davidson's  Flour  Mills. 
His  glasshouse,  with  extensive  buildings  for  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  cut  and  other  glass  on 
a  large   scale,    occupied  the  road   up  to  Short 

Strand,  at  the  end  of  which  was,  as  it  now  exists,  _ 

in  what   is    known   as    the    Lagan   Village,   the  r^  ,  .co  w^„,  c 

foundry  of  Victor  Coates,  Son  &  Voung.     This  at  Ballymacarrett. 

establishment  has  continued  under  the  Coates  family  during  the  past  eighty 
years,  and  it  is  now  among  the  oldest  in  Belfast.  Adjoining  this  was  the 
vitriol  works  of  Greg  &  Boyd,  which  were  large,  and  conducted  with  skill 
during  many  years.  Beyond  this,  and  past  (llentoran, "'  the  residence  of 
William  Coates,  comes  a  large  piece  of  land,  which  the  Marquis  of  Donegall 
laid  out  and  planted  about  1800,  and  called  Ormeau  Park,  in  the  centre  of 
which  he  had  enlarged  Ormeau  House,  which  had  been  occupied  by  Edward 
Kingsmill  in  the  last  century.  The  Marquis  here  resided  until  his  death  in 
October,  1844.  This  beautiful  place  was  purchased  some  years  since  by  the 
Town  Council,  the  house  thrown  down,  and  the  grounds  converted  into  a 
public  park.  The  road  then  went  on  through  Newtown  Breda  to  Belvoir 
Park,  the  residence  of  Sir  Robert  Bateson,  Bart.,  towards  Ballynahinch, 
Lisburn,  etc.,  etc.  The  road  from  Hyndman's  glass-house  branched  off  to  the 
left  towards  Holywood,  Bangor,  Newtownards,  etc.  The  road  to  Holywood, 
running  along  the  east  shore  of  the  lough,  presented  many  beautiful  sites  for 
villas,  etc.,  just  as  on  the  opposite  shore,  which,  however,  it  may  be  supposed, 
I  was  not  so  well  acquainted  with,  and  therefore  do  not  attempt  to  describe. 

We  will  now  retrace  our  steps  to  the  foot  of  High  Street.  From  the  head 
of  Hanover  Dock,  which  was  surrounded  with  iron  railing  in  a  semi-circle, 
the  view  up  the  street  was  good,  owing  to  its  length  in  a  straight  line  to  Corn 
Market,  and  its  great  width,  caused  by  the  river  formerly  flowing  down  it 
in  an  open  space,  having  trees  on  each  side  of  it,  but  which  had  been 
culverted  over.  About  one  half  that  length  we  come  to  Bridge  Street,  leading 
to  Donegall  Street  at  the  Belfast  Exchange,  as  I  mentioned  before,  and 
straight  up  North  Street  to  Carrick  Hill  and  the  country.  Turning  to  the 
left  from  Bridge  Street,  we  get  into  what  was  then  called  Rosemary  Lane, 
in  which  are  the  three  Presbyterian  meeting-houses,  First,  Second,  and 
Third,  respectively.  It  goes  on  from  there  to  Hercules  Street,  which  joined 
North  Street.     Rosemary  Lane  went  across  the  latter  street  to  Berry  Street, 

(1)  Now  removed,  and  tlie  ground  laid  out.  in  small  streets. 


PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY.       171 

and  thence  to  the  large  square  called  Smithfield,  which  was  then,  as  it  is  now, 
a  pedlar's  market.  Two  fairs  were  formerly  held  here  on  12  August  and 
12    November.      From    Bridge    Street    we   pass   along   High    Street    to  ("orn 


Km 


TuK  Old  Maxsk,   Roskmaky  Sikkkp  (imu    ri-inuvcd). 

/■yg/N  a  She  tell  in   the  I'estry  of  t  lie  First  i'ongregation. 

Erected  for  the   Rev.  Robert    MacBride  aljout    1700.     The  l,irth-pl.ace  of  Dr.  William    Dreiin.ai, 

and   Or.  Williatn   Halliday. 

Market,  at  the  east  corner  of  which  stood  the  ancient  market-house,  which 
had  been  pulled  down  in.iSii.  Corn  .Market  led  past  the  other  end  of 
Ann  Street,  through  Arthur  Street,  past  Chichester  Street,  to  The  Mall,  and 
Joy's  Dam.  which  was  a  piece  of  water  of  some  extent,  impounding  the 
waters  of  the  Blackstaff,  which  drove  a  paper-mill  then  at  the  bridge  over 
that  river,  called  Cromac  Bridge,  now  demolished,  as  the  culverting  of  the 
Blackstaff  rendered  it  unnecessary.      When  this  dam  was  drained,  in  order  to 


-     'ii::^^    ^^4c  ^^'^^" 

Joy's  Paper  Mill  and  Bridgk. 

From  an  Oil  Painting  at  Ardric. 

convert  its  site  into  building-ground  by  Messrs.  Joy,  the  mill  was  allowed  to 
fall  into  ruins,  and  so  remained  until  the  fifties.  There  were  no  gas-works 
until   1823,  and  Cromac  Street  was  fields. 


72      PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY. 


Castle  Place  (then  called  Street)  commenced  at  Corn  Market,  as  it  does 
now,  and  was  so  called  because  the  ancient  castle  stood  there,  enclosed  within 
walls  extending  from  about  one  half  of  the  east  side  round  Donegall   Place 


The  Casti.e,   Belfast,  now  itmoved. 

Fr(>m  a  Photo,  by  Jolin  J.   Mnyshall. 

to  Castle  Lane.  The  old  castle  had  been  destroyed  by  fire  many  years  before, 
and  the  space  within  the  walls  was  a  garden,  in  which  stood  a  dwelling-house 
occupied  by  Thomas  Ludford  Stewart,  an  attorney,  and  at  one  time  agent 
for  Lord  13onegall.  Pear  trees  hung  over  the  garden  wall,  where  the  LTnion 
Club  now  stands.  At  the  opposite  corner  of  Donegall  Place  stood  a  large 
house,  also  enclosed   within  walls  and    iron    railings,  the   town   residence  of 

I 


III 


The  Bank  Buildings  and 

From  a  Phota.  in  /•assess 


[Iercules  Streei 

:oH  of  Herbert  Hughe 


Cornek. 


Lord  Massereene,  who  was  Collector  of  Customs  of  the  port  until  his  death 
in  1816:  a  sinecure  office,  the  entire  duties  being  performed  by  the  pro- 
collector,    Christopher   Salmon.      From    these    two  gardens    Donegall    Place 


PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY.       173 

extended  to  the  front  of  the  Linen  Hall.  This  building  had  been  erected 
about  1784,  on  ground  granted  in  perpetuity  to  trustees,  at  a  nominal 
rent,  so  long  as  it  was  used  as  a  linen  hall  or  market  for  the  sale  of  finished 
linens  ;  and  on  condition  that  no  part  of  the  profit  rents  or  fees  should  be 
divided  among  the  shareholders  or  contributors  to  the  building  fund.  My 
father  had  three  of  these  shares,  but  we  never  heard  what  became  of  the  funds 
arising  from  the  building.  At  one  time,  I  believe,  the  funds  were  distributed 
among  the  charities  of  the  town. 


House  at  the  corner  of  Chichester  Street  and  Callender  Street. 

(.Site  now  occupied  by  R.  Payne,  Tailor.) 
From  a  Plioto.  by  Jnhn  J .  Marshall. 

Chichester  Street  was  then  a  new  street,  extending  from  the  river  to  the 
Academical  Institution,  and  only  partially  built  on.  Donegall  Square  had 
been  planted  with  trees  and  paved.  The  town  house  of  the  Marquis  of 
Donegall  stood  at  the  corner  of  Donegall  Place,  and  until  lately  was  known  as 
the  Royal  Hotel  ;  and  all  that  street  was  occupied  as  residences  by  the  most 
respectable  inhabitants  :  not  a  shop  or  place  of  business  was  in  it  until  after 
1839.  The  Bank  Buildings  stood  as  now:  three  large  shops  occupied  the 
ground  floor,  and  the  Northern  Bank  the  upper  rooms.'" 

Castle  Street  was  the  road  to  Lisburn,  Dublin,  etc.,  through  Mill  Street, 
Barrack  Street,  and  Sandy  Row,  past  Friar's  Bush,  Stranmillis,  and  on  to  the 
Malone  Road  at  Beaumont.  The  present  Malone  Road  was  made  to  avoid 
the  very  bad  hills  on  this  old  road.  The  approach  to  the  banks  of  the 
Lagan  and  the  canal  was  then,  as  now,  from  this  old  road.  The  new  Lisburn 
Road,  made  in  1817,  has  been  a  great  improvement  on  these,  and  enabled 
the  mail  coaches  to  attain  greater  speed.  From  Barrack  Street  the  line  of 
Mill  Street  diverged,  at  the  old  distillery,  to  the  Belfast  Flour  Mills  and  the 

(1)  This  building  is  now  removed. 


174      PERSONAL    RECOLLFXTIONS    OF    THE    REGINNINO    OF    THE    CENTURY. 

Falls,  which  were  streams  of  water  descending  from  the  mountain,  affording 
means  for  numerous  bleach-greens  and  finishing  works  for  linen.  All  outside 
Sandv  Row,  Durham  Street,  Boundary  Street,  and  Carrick  Hill,  was  open 
country,  until  we  arrive  back  at  the  Belfast  Charitable  Society  Poor-house. 

I  have  thus  described,  as  clearly  as  I  could,  the  geography  of  the  town  of 
i-Jelfast  as  it  appeared  to  me  previous  to  1820.  Since  that  time  it  has  been 
greatly  improved  and  enlarged. 

(Ireat  as  the  improvement  in  the  town  itself  has  been,  the  improvement 
in  the  harbour  has  been  greater.  In  1820  the  shore  of  the  County  Down 
presented  nothing  to  tlie  view,  from  the  Donegall  (^)uay  at  low  water,  but 
unsightly  nmd  banks,  which  continued  on  each  side  of  the  tortuous  channel 
as  far  as  Carmoyle,  and  there  was  not  more  than  six  feet  of  water  at  the  (]uays 
at  low  water.  The  channel  wound  through  the  Abercorn  l>asin,  east  of  the 
(Queen's  Island,  jjast  the  station  of  the  (irampian.  In  1838  the  Commissioners 
contracted  with  William  Dargan  to  form  this  new  channel,  and  he  completed 
the  work  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Board.  The  earth  raised  from  the  new 
works  formed  the  Ckieen's  Island  and  the  Twin  Islands  and  embankments. 
Now,  the  channel  has  been  made  straight,  and  deepened,  to  admit  ships  drawing 
over  twenty  feet.  With  regard  to  funds  to  carry  out  this  work,  an  arrangement, 
as  I  recollect  it,  was  made  with  the  Board  of  Works,  that  after  the  Com- 
missioners had  expended  ^'5,000  they  would  advance  ^,5,000,  and  so  on, 
until  a  certain  sum  was  paid  —  I  suppose  ^25,000.  When  ^^20,000  was 
expended,  of  which  the  Board  of  Works  found  ^'10,000,  a  certain  amount  of 
interest  became  due.  l<or  this  interest  the  Commissioners  remitted  exchei|uer 
bills  which  the\-  had  received  from  themselves,  part  of  the  last  instalment. 
These  bills  the  Board  of  Works  refused  to  accept.  Some  of  the  Commissioners, 
among  whom  were  Wm.  Firrie  and  Ceorge  McTear,  had  objected  to  receive 
assistance  from  the  Covernment,  alleging  that  money  would  come  in  freely 
from  the  townspeople  if  it  was  published  that  such  loans  would  be  taken. 
When,  therefore,  these  bills  were  thus  returned,  the  minority  asked  and 
obtained  permission  to  advertise  for  tenders  of  loans  of  money  on  security  of 
the  rates.  \Vithin  a  week,  far  more  money  than  was  required  was  offered  at 
moderate  interest,  and  the  Board  of  Works  was  paid  off. 

Co7-redions  ami  additions  to  this  article  are  invited  by  the  editor. 


■''"^=^?1#^>^^=^'" 


^be  Mbiteabbe^  in  tbc  iparieb  of  (Tarnmone^, 
Couutv^  Bntrim. 


By  FRANCIS  JUSKl'H   lilGl 


WILLIAM 


KNXELL 


HE  existence  of  this  old  ruin,  whicli  is  the  last  remaining 
landmark  of  what  evidently  was  a  large  monastic  institution, 
-'^Ma  seems  to  be  but  little  known  :  and  although  so  close  to 
^?-^=^^  Belfast,  is  seldom  or  never  visited.  'l"he  building  is  fairly 
rectangular,  and  its  existence  until  this  day  is  due  to  its 
sturdy  walls,  all  of  which,  though  only  sixteen  feet  high,  are  four  feet  thick — 
most  unusual  dimensions — of  rough,  uncoursed,  rubble  masonry.  Every 
vestige  of  cut-stone  dressings  has  disappeared,  so  that  it  gives  but  little  clue 
to  its  age;  but  the  grouping  of  its  windows  points  to  thirteenth-century  work. 

It  is  commonly  accepted  as 
the  chapel  of  the  old  "  White- 
abbey"  ;  but  to  us  it  seems 
more  nearly  to  resemble  the 
usual  planning  of  a  Cistercian 
chapter-house,  with  five  win- 
dows at  the  east  end  (two 
being  in  the  side  walls),  and 

the    door    in    the     west     end  v    /  .    >  •'X'J-F- 

opening  into  a  cloister.     The 
broken    masonry  of    the   west 


Ir^^'O^M'M^pl 


.P^coU    ^ 


wall  at  the  angles  seems  in  a 
shadowy  kind  of  way  to  bear  out  this  impression.  The  other  opes  on  the 
south  side  are  probably  the  breakages  of  time.  Two  holes  exist  on  the  north 
side  similar  in  formation  to  those  in  Movilla  Church  ;  and  which,  for  want 
of  better  information,  we  can  only  class  as  "  putlock "'  or  scaffold  holes. 

It  is  refreshing  to  observe  that 
an  effort  is  made  to  preserve  the  old 
work  from  further  injury  by  fencing : 
an  example  we  most  devoutly  wish 
were  generally  followed  throughout 
Ireland. 

Historical  references  to  A\'hite- 
abbey  are  meagre  in  the  extreme; 
and,  strange  to  say,  the  existing  ruins 
have  never  been  properly  depicted. 
A  rude  drawing  appears  in  Benn's 
History  (1823),  and  a  similar  sketch 


^r 


176 


THE    WHITEABBEY    IN    THE    PARISH    OF    CARNMONEY, 


from  McSkimin  is  given  in  Old  Belfast.  The  drawings  here  given  are  from 
accurate  measurements  recently  made,  and  show  all  the  remains  that  now  exist. 
No  vestige  or  evidence  of  former  buildings  appears  in  the  adjoining  grass  field. 
The  late  Thomas  McTear  (page  i66)  speaks  of  a  graveyard  being  in  existence 
here  one  hundred  years  ago;  and  we  have  been  informed  that  many  of  the 
stone  walls  were  subsequently  removed,  and  used  in  constructing  the  adjoining 
house  known  as  Abbotscroft.     All  the  past  known  history  of  Whiteabbey  is 


given  by  Bishop  Reeves  in  his  Ecclesiastical  Antiquities,  p.  277,  with  his  usual 
care  and  correctness.  We  cannot  do  better  than  quote  it  /;/  extenso,  as  it 
comprises  all  that  has  been  written  on  the  subject  of  historic  value: 

"  In  the  parish  of  Carnmoney,  about  half-way  between  Carrickfergus  and  Belfast,  is  the 
lownland  White-Abbey,  which  takes  its  name  from  an  abbey,  the  ruins  of  the  chapel  of 
which  stand  in  a  field  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  road,  and  are  marked  on  the  Ord.  Survey 
'  White  Abbey  Ruins'  (§  57).  The  place  is  laid  down  under  the  same  name  on  Norden's  and 
Speed's  Maps.  The  ruin  is  38  feet  6  inches  long,  19  feet  9  inches  wide  at  the  east  end,  and 
20  feet  2  inches  at  the  west.  The  walls  are  four  feet  thick,  and  built  in  courses.  In  the  east 
side,  about  nine  feet  from  the  ground,  are  three  lancet  windows,  which  are  much  distigured 
by  the  removal  of  dressings,  but  their  dimensions  may  be  estimated  as  7  feet  6  inches  in 
height,  I  foot  9  inches  in  width  outside,  splayed  to  5  feet  inside.  They  are  pleasingly 
represented  in  a  drawing  of  White  Abbey,  published  in  [Benn's]  History  of  Belfast  (p.  265). 
On  the  north  and  south  sides  there  were  similar  windows  at  a  like  elevation.  The  N.W. 
angle  is  ragged,  and  looks  like  as  if  it  had  been  connected  with  other  buildings.  For  a 
considerable  space  around,  and  especially  in  this  direction,  several  foundations  and  pavements 
have  been  from  time  to  time  discovered  ;  among  them  have  been  found  silver  coins  of  the 
Edwards,  a  font,  a  quern,  carved  stones,  and  quantities  of  human  bones.  One  of  the 
sculptured  stones  bore  the  figure  of  a  shamrock,  and  another  resembling  a  corbel  head  is 
over  the  door  of  an  adjacent  ice-house.  Some  antique  bronze  ornaments,  including  a 
crucifix,  which  were  found  near  this  spot,  are  in  the  possession  of  Edmund  Getty  of 
Belfast.  About  fifty  yarcls  S.W.  was  a  deep  draw-well,  which  was  closed  in  1836.  This 
abbey  was,  probably,  the  l)ruin-la-aoix  of  Archdall,  which  is  described  as  having  been 
founded  for  Prsmonstrant  or  White  Canons,  and  as  being  a  daughter  of  the  abbey  of 
Drieburgh,  in  Scotland  ( Monast.  Hib.,  pp.  6,  7)." 


THE    (jLD    parish    CHURCH    BKLL   OF    BKLKAST. 
By  Isaac  W.  Ward. 

jT^y^HE  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Belfast  Charitable  Society  (E.  W.  Pini,  j.v.) 
li^^X^  recently  informed  me  that  the  bell  which  had  been  so  long  hanging  in 
{^[f  the  tower  of  the  Old  Poor's  House  had  been  taken  down  some  time  ago, 
I^^J^  and  suspended  in  an  oak  stand  in  the  entrance  hall  of  the  institution. 
Nj»5  ^|5^^  On  its  removal,  it  was  discovered  that  the  date  1731  was  shown  on  a 
>>€r^S^^»^  foliated  raised  band,  which  encircled  the  bell  near  its  crown.  This  band 
contains  a  sinuous  tendril,  to  which  is  attached,  at  alternate  portions  of  the  curve,  a  trefoil 
or  shamrock,  and  other  embellishments.  There  is  another  raised,  but  plain,  band  nearer  the 
mouth,  which  was  the  one  mentioned  by  the  editor  of  this  journal  in  the  notice  of  the  bell 
given  in  vol.  ii.,  p.  193.  Tlie  upper  band  was  missed  at  that  time  in  consequence  of  the 
high  wood-work  around  the  bell  and  the  inconvenient  position  in  which  it  was  hung  in  the 
tower.  From  the  shamrock  appearing  in  the  upper  ornamental  band,  it  is  probable  the  bell 
may  have  been  cast  in  Dublin.  The  bell  is  18  inches  high,  and  the  handle  5/2  inches  more; 
the  width  at  the  mouth  is  20^4  inches. 

There  is  no  doubt,  from  the  records,  that  this  was  the  parish  bell,  removed  in  1774  when 
the  old  parish  church  in  High  Street  was  demolished.  The  Vicar  of  Belfast  at  the  date  of 
the  bell  (1731)  was  the  well-known  Dr.  William  Tisdall,  f.t.c.d.,  who  died  in  1735.  He 
was  Swift's  correspondent,  and  at  one  time  his  rival  in  respect  of  Miss  Hester  Johnston 
(Stella). 


SIR   CAHIR   O'DOHERTY. 
By  J.  Buckley. 

There  is  a  quarto  print  of  ten  or  twelve  pages  concerning  the  actions  and  death  of  this 
young  Ulster  chieftain,  the  existence  of  which  does  not  seem  to  be  generally  known.  It  is 
not  mentioned  in  part  I.  (1601-1625)  of  the  recent  valuable  Catalogue  of  Early  Dublin- 
Printed  Books,  1601-1J00,  compiled  by  E.  McC.  Dix,  and  is  therefore  alluded  to  here.  The 
following  is  a  copy  of  the  title-page,  which  is  illustrated  with  a  wood-cut  of  Newgate  prison, 
with  two  impaled  heads:  "The  Over-throw  of  an  Irifli  rebell,  in  a  late  battaille  :  Or  the 
death  of  Sir  Carey  Adoughertie,  who  murdred  Sir  Ceorge  Paulet  in  Ireland  ;  and  for  his 
rebellion  hath  his  head  now  (landing  over  Newgate  in  Dublin.  Imprinted  at  London  for 
I.  Wright,  and  are  to  be  fold  at  his  fliop  neere  Chrift  Church  Gate.  1608.''  The  colophon, 
however,  has  "  Dvblin.  Printed  by  lohn  Franckton,  Printer  to  the  Kings  moft  excellent 
Maieflie."  There  is  a  copy  of  this  and  two  other  prints  of  the  same  size  and  date  in  the 
British  Museum,  which,  although  replete  with  scriptural  reflections,  are  very  descriptive  of 
O'Doherty's  short  but  eventful  struggle. 


•'ROUND   TOWERS    OF    ULSTER,"  .\:c. 
.\  number  of  reprints  of  this  article,  with  lithographs  after  Burgess,  also  Grattan"s  paper 


on   "Craniology,"'  has 
retailing  them. 


)me  into  the  hands  of  D.  Burns,  229,  York  Street,  Belfast,  who 


Review  of  Books  lield  over  for  next  Fart. 


Botes  anb  (Slueries^ 

This  coltiiim  is  open  to  >eaiers  desirous  of  obtaitung  or  iiii parting  infot inalioii  on  questions  of 
interest  Hint  obscure  points  of  historical  lore  relating-  to  the  district. 


(Slucries. 


West.— I    should    be   nuich  obli 
West,  whu,  fur  nearly  two  centuries. 


d  for  any  information  as  to  the  history  of  the  family  of 
■sided  at  Ballydu<jan,  near  D()\\n]iatrick,  Co.  Down. 


Old  Army  Commissions,  -l  have  been  informed  by  members  of  the  West  flimily 
that  there  are  in  existence,  but  in  the  possession  of  strangers,  the  two  original  commissions, 
dated  in  May,  ibbg,  of  Henry  West,  Captain  and  Adjutant  in  Lord  Lisburne"s  Regiment  of 
Foot.  Any  information  as  to  their  whereabouts,  if  still  in  existence,  would  be  most 
acceptable.  I  have  seen  photographic  reproductions  of  them  in  the  possession  of  the  late 
Henry  West,  (.>.c.  E.  E.  W. 


Hiiewcre  to  ^SlucriC6. 


The  Oatll  of  Alleg-ianee.  — In  \ol.  iv.,  page  190,  information  is  wanted  respecting 
the  parties  who  took  the  Oath  of  Allegiance.  I  may  slate  that  I  was  informed  by  a  person 
who  saw  the  soldiers  marching  to  Antrim  on  the  yth  of  June,  1798,  that  two  men,  named 
respectively  Hugh  Giffen  and  Hugh  Campbell,  attended  a  meeting  of  United  Irishmen,  of 
which  they  were  both  members,  and  wanted  the  other  members  to  join  with  them  and  assist 
to  rescue  a  young  man  named  Woods  from  a  company  of  soldiers  w  ho  were  authorized  lo 
execute  him  on  the  following  day.  They  urged  that  there  was  no  use  in  projiosing  to 
overthrow  the  government,  while  at  the  same  time  they  were  allowing  their  best  men,  like 
Orr  and  Woods,  to  be  hanged  for  nothing.  The  others  would  not  join  in  the  rescue.  Woods 
was  marched  through  Carnmoney,  and  hanged  on  a  tree  at  Doagh.  Cififen  and  Campbell 
attended  no  more  meetings,  and  took  "The  Oath  of  Allegiance."  Giffen  was  at  this  time 
;,5  years  old  and  Campbell  20.  Arrangements  were  afterwards  made  to  a.ssassinate  GiHen. 
He  had  narrow  escaiies  on   two  occasions:  one  of  them   was  at  Glengormley,  when  Joseph 

[oseph  Kelso  was  murdered  on  the  12th  of  December, 

•}■  subscribers  for  his  murderc 

his  wife,  Janet    Bigger,    was 


Kelso,  who  was  with  him,  was  killed. 
'799-     ;^3o6  of  a  reward  was  offered 
lieen  murdered   at   the  same   time,   bu 
allowed   to  part   from    Kelso. 


.  Giffen  would  have 
rith  him,  and  he  was 
M.,  Carnmoney. 


Poelcrieh  Family. 

il.  iv.,  p.   131,    I   would   I 


-In 


)ly  to  the  1, 

|uei 

r\-  c 

one 

■ernni! 

the  article 

:    W 

rittt 

;n 

by   nu 

is  family  which  appeared  in 
the  Dictionary  of  National 
Biography  on  Richard  I'ockrich  ;  also  to  an  article  which  ap])eared  in  the  Freeman' s  Journal 
of  26th  Deceml)er,  1S96.  I'ockrich  was  the  fanied  inventor  of  the  musical  glasses,  and  al.so 
spent  much  of  his  time  in  working  out  curious  strange  devices  and  theorie.s.  He  was  born  in 
1690,  and  was  iiurned  in  the  fire  which  occurred  in  Hamlin's  coffee-house,  near  the  Exchange, 
London,  in  1759.  He  unsuccessfully  contested  his  native  county  of  Monaghan  in  1745,  and 
again,  in  1749,  he  failed  to  get  into  the  Irish  Parliament  for  I)id)lin.  His  wife  eloped  with 
Theophilus  Glibber,  the  theatrical  celebrity,  who  had  the  squabble  with  Thomas  Sheridan  : 
but  both  the  gallivanters  were  drowned  by  shipwreck  on  their  way  lo  Scotland.  Pockrich 
was  born  in  Monaghan,  where  his  family  had  long  been  settled.  His  father  had  rai.sed  and 
commanded  a  company  in  the  Williamite  wars,  and  was  dangerously  wounded  at  the  siege 
of  Athlone.  D.   |.  O'DONOGHUK. 


ULSTER  JOURNAL 

OF 

Archaeology 


Vol.  V. 


SEPTEMBER, 


No. 


3\\  riDcnioriani. 

D/di/  yth  July,   jSi^'}  :  buried  in   Holywooa    Clitirchyard. 

T  is  but  a  short  time  since  we  lost  Lavcns  M.  Ewart 
from  amongst  the  founders  of  this  journal,  and  now  we 
mourn  another  of  our  number.  Failing  health  for 
some  time  past  had  prevented  Joseph  M'Chesney  from 
taking  an  active  part  in  antiquarian  matters,  but  to  the 
last  his  sympathy  was  as  keen  and  his  interest  as  strong  as 
ever  in  the  welfare  of  this  journal.  Quiet  and  unassuming  in  manner,  with  a 
strong  dislike  to  ostentation  in  any  form,  a  devotee  to  duty,  ever  conscientiously 
discharging  the  work  which  lay  to  his  hand,  freely  assisting  others  in  his  quiet, 
sympathetic  way,  looking  for  no  further  recognition  than  the  satisfaction 
of  having  helped  another.  Amongst  his  immediate  friends  his  loss  will  be 
greatly  felt;  and  to  his  sorrowing  widow  our  sympathy  is  freely  extended.  For 
several  years  past,  Joseph  M'Chesney  had  been  working  at  the  history  of  his 
own  parish  of  Holywood,  the  place  where  he  had  long  resided,  and  for  which 
he  had  so  deep  an  affection.  His  task  was  well  nigh  finished :  after  long  and 
arduous  research,  all  the  material  had  been  gathered  together;  but  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  it  through  the  press  was  denied  to  him.  Other  hands  will  have  it  laid 
before  the  public,  as  a  slight  tribute  to  the  memory  of  one  who  ever  acte^d 
faithfully  and  honourably. 
N 


lEarli?  IRcaietcr  of  the  ®lt)  Presbyterian  Congregation 
of  antrim. 

By  the  Rev.  W.   S.   SMITH,  Antrim. 

HIS  is  a  book  Sj4  inches  long  by  6^  wide,  and  i  inch  in 
thickness.  54  pages  were  devoted  to  marriages  (6  pages 
are  missing),  and  119  pages  to  baptisms.  Assuming  the 
"  purposes  "  of  marriage  to  be  equivalent  to  marriages,  it  is 
estimated  that  there  are  about  600  entries  under  this  head, 
and  2,600  under  the  head  of  baptisms.  The  old  book  also  contains  a  number 
of  miscellaneous  entries;  some  it  may  be  of  an  official,  and  others  of  a  very 
unofficial,  character;  but  of  considerable  interest  nevertheless.  The  period 
covered  by  the  combined  baptismal  and  marriage  entries  is  about  sixty  years, 
from  1674  till  1736,  though  there  are  only  several  entries  after  1733.  Most 
of  the  miscellaneous  entries,  excepting  such  as  refer  to  ministers,  are  from 
forty  to  fifty  years  later.  After  serving  the  purpose  of  a  congregational 
register,  it  was  made  to  do  duty  as  a  petty  cash-book  in  connection  with  the 
distribution  of  congregational  charity  and  the  cultivation  of  the  congregational 
land. 

Considering  its  age — 225  years — the  book  is  in  a  very  fair  state  of 
preservation.  The  paper  is  thick,  and  much  darkened  by  time.  It  is  bound 
in  leather;  the  covers  being  ornamented  with  impressed  diamond-shaped 
figures,  enclosed  in  bordering  lines.  It  is  a  book  to  exercise  somewhat  of  a 
magical  influence  over  the  imagination,  transporting  one  into  the  past,  to  live 
in  other  times,  to  think  new  thoughts,  and  to  witness  other  scenes.  It  was 
commenced  in  the  time  of  the  learned  Rev.  Thomas  Gowan — a  man  with 
whom  the  Rev.  John  Howe,  the  well-known  seventeenth  century  divine, 
co-operated  in  the  training  of  young  men  for  the  ministry  in  the  North  of 
Ireland,  Howe  being  at  the  time  chaplain  to  Lord  Massereene  at  Antrim 
Castle — and  was  closed  in  the  time  of  Dr.  James  Duchal.  And  what  changes 
have  passed  over  the  country  and  religion  since  then  !  Ministers  have  come 
and  gone,  congregations  have  changed  their  personality,  institutions  have 
risen  and  decayed,  law  and  usage  have  undergone  mutations,  and  other 
methods,  other  ideals,  other  hopes,  now  prevail. 

Though  interesting  to  look  into,  the  writing  in  certain  portions  of  it  is 
very  puzzling.     In  some  parts  it  is  beautiful  even  now,  while  the  diction  is 


REGISTER    OF    OLD    PRESBYTERIAN    CONGREGATION    OF    ANTRIM.  lOI 

embellished  with  a  few  Latin  expressions.  In  others  the  writing  is  coarse 
and  angular,  the  letters  being  like  multitudes  of  beetles'  legs  strewn  over 
the  pages  until  they  are  almost  black,  and  the  spelling  such  that  would  have 
astonished  the  late  Sir  Isaac  Pitman.  To  decipher  these  letters  at  all  freely 
is  impossible  to  anyone  not  familiar  with  such  writing.  Even  the  same 
word  is  not  always  spelled  alike  by  the  same  hand.  Indeed,  spelling 
with  most  of  the  recording  officials  (and  they  must  have  been  fairly 
numerous)  was  a  matter  of  the  most  sublime  indifference.  The  name 
William,  for  instance,  is  spelled  in  three  different  ways  in  as  many  lines: 
while  Donegore,  a  neighbouring  parish,  is  spelled  in  ten  different  ways;  but 
these  extend  over  a  good  number  of  years.  Many  family  names  are  spelled 
phonetically,  while  others  are  given  in  the  most  round-about  fashion.  The 
places  of  residence  or  townlands  of  persons  whose  children  were  baptized 
are  as  often  omitted  as  given,  so  that  many  entries  are  perfectly  valueless  for 
purposes  of  reference  or  identification.  Sometimes,  however,  where  the 
address  is  omitted,  the  trade  or  calling  of  the  father  is  given;  and  sometimes 
these  trades  and  callings  indicate  by  their  very  strangeness  great  changes  in 
the  social  condition  of  the  locality  brought  about  by  time.  The  following 
will  illustrate  this: — Opposite  a  date  in  November,  1678,  we  learn  that 
"John  mills,  pewterer,  had  a  child  baptized  John."  Other  names  and  trades 
or  callings  given  are — John  Homelton,  loader;  John  Homelton,  glover;  their 
callings  being  their  only  means  of  identification ;  James  Lowry,  weaver  (also 
at  times  spelled  weafer,  weaffer,  and  wafer);  Thomas  Wilson,  chandler; 
William  Stewart,  tanner;  followed  by  a  "malster,"  a  "cowper"  (and  "cwper"), 
a  "twrner,"  a  "miler  of  muckmor,"  a  "nailer,"  and  a  "John  the  beaker." 
None  of  these  trades  or  callings  is  now  pursued  in  the  district,  if  "glover" 
refers  to  the  making  rather  than  the  selling  of  gloves,  though  that  of  the 
baker  was  but  recently  relinquished.  Another  way  besides  that  given  of 
designating  the  trade  of  a  maltster  is  given  in  the  following  entry : 
"Janwary  7th  172^  Robart  of  the  kill  had  a  child  called  Ann."  No 
surname  is  given,  nor  is  the  locality  of  "the  kill"  stated.  In  very  many 
instances  the  names  of  the  children  baptized  are  not  given.  This  seems  a 
very  strange  omission.  In  17 17,  "ben  cowrtnay  had  a  child  held  wp  by 
Mr.  McMaster."  No  Christian  name  is  given.  In  172 1,  an  entry  is  briefly 
given  thus:  "John  kirby  of  masrin  [Massereene]  had  a  child."  There  are, 
strangely  enough,  as  it  now  seems,  eleven  other  baptisms  on  the  same  page 
as  the  foregoing  in  which  the  names  of  the  children  are  omitted;  and  another 
page,  bearing  the  date  17 18,  has  ten  entries  in  which  the  names  of  the 
children  are  also  omitted  !  In  contrast  with  these,  there  is  an  entry,  under 
the  year  17 17,  where  we  are  virtually  told  that  a  child  came  into  the  world 
already  named,  as:  "Aprile  8  Ja :  Campbell  of  Stowns  had  a  penalipie"; 
and  in  1720  that  "Robert  Irvin  of  8towns  had  a  James."     If  the  former 


1 82  REGISTER    OF    OLD    PRESBYTERIAN    CONGREGATION    OF    ANTRIM. 

entry  were  not  among  the  bn[)tisms,  one  might  be  induced  to  ask  what  kind 
of  a  complaint  "a  penalipie"  was.  Sometimes  the  name  of  the  father  is  given 
as  he  was  familiarly  known  among  his  companions,  as  in  the  year  17 14,  where 
we  read  that  "Charley  Moor  had  a  child  baptized";  in  the  year  1718,  "  nedy 
thomson  had  a  child  baptized";  and  in  17 17,  "Cornet  Cwningham  had  a 
child  baptized."  No  further  particulars  are  given.  In  another  case,  "Sam" 
So-and-So's  child  was  baptized. 

People  are  usually  designated  by  their  Christian  and  surnames  only;  but 
those  of  some  social  distinction  are  honoured  with  the  title  "  Mr."  before 
their  names,  as  in  the  following  instances: — In  i684,  "Mr.  william  Shaw  of 
Bush  had  a  child  baptized  Margaret";  and  in  1708,  "Mr.  Georg  Jackson 
of  StipU  [that  is,  Steeple,  or  Round  Tower]  had  a  child  called  Georg." 

In  January  of  ij];^,  baptisms  are  recorded  as  having  been  performed  by 
four  different  persons  other  than  the  minister  (Rev.  John  Abernethy)  for  the 
time  being;  namely,  Fulk  White  of  Braid,  Shaw  of  Ahoghill,  Livingston 
of  Templepatrick,  and  Brown  of  Donegore.  Other  ministers  who  at  different 
times  performed  the  baptismal  office  in  Antrim  were: — Kirkpatrick  of  Temple- 
patrick, Gowan  of  Drumbo,  Haliday  of  Belfast,  Clugston  of  Larne,  and 
Cunningham  and  Masterton  of  Connor.  It  is  interesting  to  bear  in  mind 
that  several  of  these  are  well-known  names,  arrayed  on  different  sides  in 
the  Nonsubscription  controversy. 

The  act  of  presenting  a  child  for  baptism,  while  not  declared  in  so  many 
words,  appears  to  have  usually  implied  parentage,  as  it  does  now,  and  so  the 
expression  "held  wp  "  frequently  occurs  in  these  baptismal  entries  from  the 
year  1700  onward.  Sometimes,  however,  through  death  or  from  some  other 
cause,  a  child  had  to  be  held  up  by  some  other  person  than  its  father  or 
mother,  where  the  relationship  is  generally,  but  not  always,  stated,  as  in  the 
case  of  a  child  "  held  wp"  by  its  "grandfather,"  and  in  another  instance,  where 
"John  McCollon  had  a  child  held  wp  by  his  mother-in-law."  Possibly, 
McCollon  was  ill,  and  could  not  attend.  But  the  following  is  a  case  in  which 
no  relationship  is  indicated  : — In  1687,  "Capt.  Crafford  presented  for  william 
yong — Elizabeth";  neither  is  any  explanation  given  as  to  why  Capt.  Crafford 
held  up  the  child.  In  1700,  the  following  entry  occurs:  "James  Bell  had  a 
child  baptized  held  wp  by  McBearns  for  want  of  a  testimonall — Wiliam." 
This  possibly  implies  that  James  Bell  had  recently  settled  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  was  not  fortified  with  evidence  of  previous  congregational  member- 
ship. But,  perhaps,  some  doubt  may  attach  to  this  surmise,  since  on  another 
occasion  "a  begar"  had  his  child  baptized.  By  an  earlier  entry,  we  learn  that 
William  Donalson  had  a  certificate  to  get  his  child  baptized. 

The  following  is  an  unusual  form  of  entry:  1688,  "to  wiliam  Anderson's 
wife  a  child  baptized — John";  and  at  the  same  time,  "to  Betty  Simson  a 
child    baptized— william."      Whether  Betty   Simson  was  unmarried,  wife,  or 


REGISTER    OF    OLD    PRESBYTERIAN    CONGREGATION    OF    ANTRIM.  1 83 

widow,  cannot  be  ascertained  from  the  terms  of  the  entry.  In  1684,  we  read 
that  "John  Smith  presented  for  cripall  fisher — Margaret";  in  1686,  that 
"John  Hook  presented  for  Robert  Clark";  and  in  1687,  that  "John  Patter- 
son grandfather  presented  for  Tim  :  Hart."  In  each  of  these  cases  the 
syllable  "pre"  is  represented  by  a  letter,  apparently  a  combination  of  a  "y" 
and  a  "p."  In  17  17,  "Jwn  the  2  donnall  McFerran  had  a  child  held  wp  by 
his  broter  georg."  In  1702,  "old  John  marchall  held  wp  his  sons  child"; 
and  in  1709,  "  Samwall  Gwst  had  a  child  held  wp  by  the  wiff."  On  "Jwn  27 
1711  Roger  Joans  the  midwifs  son  had  a  child  baptized."  Why,  I  wonder, 
was  this  description  thought  necessary  ?  "  Wido  barr  in  bow  Loan  had  a  child 
held  wp  by  her  father";  while,  in  1713,  "  Feb  16  John  Homelton  glover  had 
a  child  baptized  the  night  befor."  Surely,  after  this,  it  cannot  be  said  that 
Irish  bulls  are  of  recent  importation.  In  1718,  "  May  ii  John  gordon  had 
abastart  called  Martha."  In  1709,  the  following  entry  was  made:  "old 
Holaday  had  a  bastartl  of  hir  dawghter  marions  baptized."  On  March  13th 
of  the  same  year,  "  Hewgh  Clwgston  of  Stowns  had  a  child  held  wp  by  John 
Smith  of  [?]  by  Reason  of  hewgh  being  in  fornication";  and  in  1720, 
"Widow  taylor  had  her  daughters  child  baptized  but  wold  not  tell  its  father" 
— i.e.,  I  presume,  would  not  say  who  its  father  was.  These  are  the  only 
cases  of  this  character  that  I  have  met  with  among  the  baptisms. 

At  a  baptism  in  1705,  a  curious  little  scene  was  enacted  in  the  presence 
of  the  congregation,  which  was  then  a  large  one,  embracing  all  the  Presby- 
terian portion  of  the  community  for  several  miles  around.  It  should  also  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  Rev.  John  Abernethy,  M.A.,  a  highly  cultured  and 
very  promising  young  man  of  twenty-five  years  of  age,  was  minister.  Then 
"Teag  Rice  had  a  child  baptized  Elizabeth.  In  the  mean  tim  denyed  to  be 
a  Roman  and  confest  to  be  a  presbatirian  protastant  by  renoncing  popry  in 
all  its  Artickell  befor  the  congregation." 

Baptisms  doubtless,  as  a  rule,  took  place  in  the  presence  of  the  congrega- 
tion, and  the  entries,  which  at  intervals  show  that  they  were  performed  by 
visiting  ministers,  strengthen  the  assumption  ;  at  the  same  time,  there  is  an 
entry  which  distinctly  states  that  a  baptism  was  once  performed  in  the  Session 
house,  and  two  other  entries  state  that  baptism  took  place  in  the  minister's 
house. 

The  Rev.  John  Anderson  was  minister  from  1685  till  1688.  There  is  an 
entry  to  the  effect  that,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  16S5,  he  baptized  a  child; 
and  during  his  ministry  in  1708  it  is  recorded  that  the  Rev.  John  Abernethy 
also  baptized  a  child.  AA'hy  these  incidents  should  be  thus  formally  stated 
seems  not  a  little  strange.  Surely  ministers  always  performed  the  ceremony, 
unless  ill  or  away  from  home;  and  if  so,  why  these  records?  Perhaps,  how- 
ever, they  are  only  the  vagaries  of  the  recording  official.  There  are  no 
entries  of  baptisms  by  others  than  ministers,  so  far  as  can  be  inferred,  unless  it 


184  REGISTER    OF    OLD    PRESBYTERIAN    CONGREGATION    OF    ANTRIM. 

be  in  the  following  instance,  when,  in  17 17,  "Neall  Cwk  had  a  child  baptized 
by  his  brother."     There  is  nothing  to  show  that  the  brother  was  a  minister. 

While  there  is  not  the  variety  of  names  one  would  find  in  the  present  day 
in  a  baptismal  list  extending  over  a  similar  length  of  time,  and  embodying  a 
similar  number,  there  are  several  strange  ones,  nevertheless,  by  which  children 
were  to  be  known  among  their  friends  and  acquaintances.  These  are — Roose, 
Grate,  and  Grizell.  This  latter  occurs  several  times;  while  Ichabod  appears 
as  that  of  a  father  who  presented  two  children  for  baptism. 

At  intervals  during  many  years,  when  looking  into  the  old  register,  I 
noticed  a  mark  resembling  a  very  angular-shaped  letter  "n"  incorporated  with 
most  of  the  baptismal  entries  made  between  1700  and  1733.  On  some  pages, 
bearing  probably  on  an  average  twenty-five  entries,  there  is  not  a  single  entry 
without  it,  while  on  most  of  the  others  there  are  not  more  than  three  or  four 
in  which  it  does  not  occur.  What  could  be  the  meaning  of  it  ?  I  often  asked 
myself.  At  length  the  mystery  was  solved.  I  had  omitted  to  decipher  a  few 
insignificant-looking  and  fading  words  inserted  at  the  tops  of  several  of  the 
pages,  which,  on  being  carefully  traced,  read  thus:  "all  marked  with  n  not 
pyd."  Here  was  a  curious  revelation.  And,  oh  !  how  numerous  were  the 
culprits.  Evidently,  the  understanding  was  that  the  person  whose  duty  it  was 
to  enter  the  baptisms  in  the  register  should  receive  a  fee  for  every  such  entry; 
but,  unfortunately,  nine-tenths  of  those  requiring  his  services  ignored  their 
pecuni.ary  obligations;  and  the  Rev.  John  Abernethy,  who  was  minister  during 
a  large  part  of  the  period  referred  to,  was  as  great  a  sinner  as  any  member  of 
his  flock,  since  the  tell-tale  "  n  "  follows  the  names  of  his  children  as  persist- 
ently as  it  does  those  of  other  persons.  When  the  shepherd  went  astray,  the 
sheep  would  find  an  easy  excuse  for  following  in  his  footsteps. 

And  now  we  will  turn  to  the  portion  of  the  register  devoted  to  marriages. 
Respecting  the  marriage  laws  of  a  good  portion  of  the  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries,  it  may  be  said  that,  in  consequence  of  their  unsatisfactory 
condition,  Presbyterians,  and  Dissenters  in  general,  were  subject  to  much 
annoyance.  As  might  be  readily  supposed  in  connection  with  marriage 
ceremonies,  they  sought  the  oflices  of  their  own  ministers,  and  not  those  of 
the  clergy  of  the  Established  Church,  who,  however,  received  fees  for  all 
marriages  even  when  not  solemnized  in  the  Church.  Some  Presbyterians 
were  prosecuted  before  the  ecclesiastical  courts,  ministers  were  "libelled," 
marriages  were  denounced  as  clandestine,*'' and  the  issue  of  them  as  illegitimate. 
These  charges,  fortunately,  were  not  upheld  by  the  civil  courts;  nevertheless, 
so  provoking  did  the  circumstances  become,  that  the  Presbyterians  petitioned 
the  Lord  Lieutenant,  beseeching  him  to  try  and  procure  for  them  relief,  and 
to  have  their  position  made  definite  and  secure;  but,  though  sympathy  was 

(1)  It  is  only  right  to  add  th.it  many  such  marriages  were  thoroughly  irrecjiilar,  being  performed  by 
discredited  ministers,  or  "  huckle-bemj.trs,"  whose  occupations  were  hiciative,  but  ijuite  illegal,  and  properly 
so.-En. 


REGISTER    OF    OLD    PRESBYTERIAN    CONGREGATION    OF    ANTRIM.  1 85 

manifested,  nothing  was  then  done.  Matters  continued  in  an  unsatisfactory 
state  until  the  year  1782,  when  an  Act  was  passed  having  a  retrospective  as 
well  as  prospective  character,  whereby  justice  was  secured. 

The  entries  in  the  register  concerning  marriages  consist  of  notices  or 
purposes,  records  of  proclamation  of  banns,  and  of  facts  of  marriage.  The 
first  is  usually  given  in  the  following,  or  very  similar  form,  and  is  a  copy  of 
the  first  entry  of  this  kind  in  the  old  book:  "March  14th  1675  ther  is  pur- 
pose of  marriag  betwixt  Joseph  gray  and  jennat  McCrah  both  of  the  parish  of 
Antrim."  The  second  entry  is  one  that  does  not  refer  to  marriage,  though  it 
does  to  partnership,  and  that  of  a  somewhat  unusual  kind.  Why  it  was 
inserted  in  the  proper  order  of  the  entries  in  this  book  seems  now  impossible 
to  say.  It  is  as  follows:  "John  Riges  is  wilinge  to  take  heugh  gemble  and 
Steuen  Whytt  to  be  partners  in  his  goat."  This  was  surely  one  of  the 
humblest  joint-stock  companies  ever  formed'and  officially  registered,  supposing 
willingness  implied  obligation.  Under  the  date  1677  occurs  the  following  : 
"the  Shession  is  to  meet  the  29th  of  Jwn,"  and  is  followed  by  a  purpose  of 
marriage  about  which  there  is  some  indefiniteness  that  would  not  be  tolerated 
at  the  present  day:  "august  i:  1677:  purpose  of  marriage  betwixt  william 
Eston  of  Kilead  parish  &  Agnes  McErvail  of  this  parish,  were  married  about 
the  last  Day  of  the  sd  August."  As  in  the  baptisms,  so  also  in  the  marriages, 
when  "Mr."  is  used,  it  appears  to  be  applied  to  someone  of  more  than  ordinary 
social  standing.  The  following  is  the  entry  in  which  it  is  first  used  among 
the  marriages:  "August  20th— 77  :  purpose  of  Marriage  betwixt  m'  John 
Mare  of  county  Down  &  Margaret  Gilcrist  of  this  Town,  were  marryed 
Sept  18th  1677."  Another  very  indefinite  entry  as  to  date  is  the  following: 
"August  last  16-] -J  :  were  married  James  m^Cord  &  EHzabeth  mumrell — both 
of  Conner  parish." 

Sometimes  entries  state  a  purpose  only  of  marriage ;  others  state  the  fact  of 
marriage;  while  others  again  first  state  a  purpose,  and  then  the  fact  of  marriage 
having  taken  place.  The  following  three  consecutive  entries  illustrate  these 
three  points:  "Sept  25th  1677  a  purpose  of  Marriage  betwixt  Robert  Barnet 

of  the  parish  of  Glenavy  &  Mary  Dongalson  of  this  parish   i 2."     I  do 

not  know  the  meaning  of  these  figures  with  a  long  dash  between  them, 
"Oct:   loth:   1677,  were  married  Duncan   Moor  of   Dunluce  &  Mary  young 

daughter   to   Peter   young   of   Islandban  "      "Oct    13th    a   purpos    of 

Marriag  betwixt  David  Burnett  &  Isabell  Hogg  both  of  this  parish were 

marryed  novr:  20th   1677." 

On  the  page  containing  the  above  entries  there  are  four  entries  followed 
by  the  figures  i,  2,  but  separated,  not  by  a  dash,  but  by  dots  thus,  "  i  :  2," 
and  they  occur  after  the  statement  of  purpose  and  before  the  fact  of  the  date 
of  marriage.  The  time  allowed  to  elapse  between  the  notice  and  the  marriage 
is  from  a  fortnight  to  six  weeks.     The  word  "purpose"  is  first  contracted  by 


1 86  REGISTER    OF    OLD    PRESBYTERIAN    CONGREC.ATION    OF    ANTRIM. 

one  recording  official  to  "purpos";  then,  wlien  the  next  takes  up  the  duty,  he 
further  contracts  it  to  "ppos,"  writing  indiscriminately  the  contracted  or  the  full 
form.  Spelling,  indeed,  as  has  been  said,  was  a  matter  of  very  slight  moment: 
and  when  pronunciation  was  wrong,  and  the  word  spelled  phonetically,  names 
become  very  difficult  to  decipher.  In  May,  1686,  following  a  "ppose,"and 
in  different  ink,  are  the  words  "  not  marryed  here,"  which  seems  to  imply 
either  that  persons  might  give  notice  in  one  place  and  get  married  in  another, 
or  that  the  intended  wedding  was  not  proceeded  with.  In  1688  a  new  hand 
shows  itself,  and  a  return  to  fair  spelling;  but  after  five  entries  have  been 
made,  there  is  a  break  of  two  and  a  half  years.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
there  were  political  troubles  at  this  period,  many  ministers  having  to  seek 
safety  in  Scotland,  whither  the  Rev.  John  Anderson  went;  and  when  the  duty 
was  resumed,  it  was  by  a  fresh  hand,  in  writing  which,  though  faint,  is  beautiful 
even  now.  The  word  parish  now  assumes  the  form  of  "  paroch."  After  a  few- 
entries,  the  word  "purpose"  is  dropped,  and  the  entries  commence  with  the 
word  "between,"  purpose  being  understood.  Now  also  appears  a  rather 
strange  method  of  dating  different  items.  In  one  or  two  instances  it  had 
been  resorted  to  previously;  but  now  it  appears  as  if  a  settled  matter.  It 
refers  to  the  names  of  several  of  the  months,  and  the  contraction  will  at  once 
be  understood.  Thus,  "  7  ber "  for  September,  the  seventh  month,  as  then 
reckoned;  "8ber"  for  October,  and  "gber"  and  "lober"  for  November 
and  December. 

In  1694  the  handwriting  again  changes,  and  changes  for  the  worse;  still, 
it  is  easily  deciphered,  and  the  writer  copies  apparently  the  contractions  of  his 
predecessor  in  office  by  the  use  of  the  figures  7,  8,  9,  and  10  before  the 
syllable  "  ber"  for  the  names  of  the  months  ending  with  it.  Another  contraction 
now  appears  in  the  word  parish;  thus,  "p.ish."  There  also  now  appears  the 
intimation  of  proclamation  being  made  a  first  and  a  last  time;  thus:  "  May  lolh 
'96  a  purpose  of  marriage  'twixt  John  fferguson  &  Mary  Mitchell  both  of  this 
parish,  then  for  ist  time  &  17th  for  last."  On  the  page  from  which  this  entry 
is  taken  there  are  seven  entries  mentioning  the  first  and  last  time  of  proclama- 
tion. In  October,  1697,  the  handwriting  again  changes.  Indeed,  within  the 
compass  of  two  pages,  there  are  several  varieties  of  writing.  The  following 
entry  shows  very  completely  the  process  pursued  on  occasions  of  this 
character:  "  169S  Aprile  30th  A  purpose  of  Marriage  Betwixt  James  Hood 
and  Martha  Strion  both  of  this  parish  were  proclaimed  the  ist  day  of  May  for 
the  ist  time  the  8th  of  May  for  the  last  time  were  Married  the  i8th  of  the 
same  month."  It  will  be  seen  that  notice  was  given  apparently  on  a  Saturday, 
and  that  the  intended  marriage  was  announced  at  the  service  in  the  meeting- 
house on  the  following  day,  and  also  on  that  day  week.  A  one-line  entry 
occurs  opposite  the  date  "9ber  1698,"  mentioning  a  marriage  by  "  W.  A." 
This  was  in  all  probability  the  Rev.  William  Adair,  and  the  last  performed  by 


REGISTER    OF    OLD    PRESBYTERIAN    CONGREGATION    OF    ANTRIM.  1 87 

him,  as  he  died  in  the  following  February,  169*.  At  all  events,  it  is  followed 
by  a  blank  page,  and  then  a  missing  leaf.  The  rest  of  the  entries,  in  wretched 
handwriting  most  difficult  to  decipher,  and  which  I  have  already  likened  to 
pages  covered  with  beetles'  legs,  extends  over  a  period  of  thirty-two  years. 
So  crowded  and  so  obscure  is  this  part  of  the  register,  that  if  a  second 
reference  to  an  entry  is  desired,  and  its  date  unknown,  the  search  for  it  is 
almost  hopeless.  Several  facts  I  have  failed  to  find  a  second  time,  though 
long  searched  for.  The  following  is  the  first  of  this  set  of  entries:  "  dembr  14, 
1700  a  pwr  of  marig  betwixt  James  Simson  and  Jean  Hartly."  In  August, 
1702,  an  entry  informs  us  that  a  "purpose"  between  a  couple,  one  belonging 
to  the  parish  of  "learn"  and  the  other  to  Antrim,  was  "stoped."  A  rather 
quaint  entry  is  as  follows:  "Jwly  19  1702  is  the  marrig  day  of  John  m'^master 
and  Sara  \\'alas  he  of  this  parish  and  she  of  kilead."  In  1702,  "a  purpose" 
changes  into  "a  pwrp"  and  "a  porp,"  though  these  forms  are  not  always  used. 

The  adage,  "There's  many  a  slip  between  the  cup  and  the  lip,"  was  as 
true  a  couple  of  centuries  ag(j  as  now.  I  have  already  referred  to  one  "slip." 
Another  is  recorded  in  December,  1702,  after  the  proclamation  of  the  purpose, 
in  which  the  words  occur,  "not  to  go  on";  and  there  was  still  another  "slip" 
in  "Jwn,"  1705,  when  one  John  McNeilly  of  Antrim,  and  Mary  Hwy  in  the 
congregation  of  Glenavy,  were  proclaimed  once,  and  then  "stoped."  A  case 
is  given,  in  1717,  wherein  an  intended  marriage  was  abandoned  after  proclam- 
ation; but  it  was  subsequently  proceeded  with,  being  proclaimed  one  day, 
and  "  don  owt "  the  next. 

There  are  at  least  two  instances  where  the  recording  official  trespasses 
beyond  his  depth  with  regard  to  modes  of  expression,  and  thereby  makes 
nonsense  of  the  plainest  facts.  The  first  is  in  connection  with  the  marriage 
of  the  Rev.  Alexander  Brown  of  Donegore  with  Jean  Gowan.  Notice  of  this 
was  given  in  on  January  10,  1702,  and  they  "  wer  mariyed  the  20  day  of  the 
sam  deat";  otherwise,  I  presume,  the  20th  day  of  the  same  month.  Another 
is  as  follows:  "  feber  17  1705  a  por  of  marrag  betwixt  Edward  parker  and 
Sara  Whit  ther  marag  day  was  the  19th  of  the  sam  Instant."  A  third  illus- 
tration of  this  nonsense  occurs  in  the  year  1716  in  the  following  words:  "the 
19  Instant  of  Jwly."  It  is  evident  that  the  keeper  of  the  register  could  not 
vary  his  official  language  without  getting  muddled.  Although  some  ingenuity 
in  the  art  of  contracting  is  now  manifest,  the  use  of  "7ber,"  "8ber,"  etc., 
does  not  appear,  and  the  word  "  paroch  "  is  not  met  with. 

Evidently,  there  was  no  legal  restraint  as  to  the  hours  during  which 
marriages  might  take  place;  and  so  occasionally  the  time  is  given,  as  in  the 
case  of  William  Cams  and  Jean  Watson,  who,  in  17 11,  were  "  maryd  at 
night."  Another  couple  in  the  following  year  were  also  married  at  night; 
while  on  November  29,  17 16,  "  francies  Hwnter  and  Jean  T  [D  ?]  eath  wer 
marryed  about  7  or  8  a  cloak  at  night." 


1 88  REGISTER    OF    OLD    PRESBYTERIAN    CONGREGATION    OF    ANTRIM. 

If  we  may  judge  by  the  number  of  marriages  that  took  place  during  the 
period  covered  by  this  old  book,  Antrim  must  have  been  an  important 
Presbyterian  centre.  On  some  occasions  three  and  four  couples  were  "cried" 
on  the  same  day;  but  some  years  before  1733  ^^^  numbers  diminished 
rapidly.  In  only  one  instance  is  any  misconduct  prior  to  marriage  recorded; 
and  then  it  is  described  in  language  plain  and  pointed.  As  in  the  baptisms, 
though  not  so  often,  the  name  by  which  a  person  was  familiarly  known  is 
used,  as  "  Dave  Brown"  and  "  Beti  McDowall."  Curious  spellings  of  Christian 
names  are:  "hewgh,"  "  Katrin,"  "Shewsana";  while  some  surnames  appear 
in  very  strange  guises,  as:  "Cwrk,"  "mwrra,"  "  Lwk,"  "  Dyk,"  "  Muddie," 
"hewghat,"  "Lion,"  "Physicar,"   "  Knobb." 

Something  was  said  about  fees  in  connection  with  baptisms,  and  the  brand 
affixed  to  the  names  of  those  who  did  not  pay.  Among  the  marriage  records 
not  a  word  in  reference  to  payment  has  been  met  with,  but  there  is  a  peculiar 
mark,  something  like  a  written  letter  x,  but  with  the  two  parts  widely 
separated,  over  almost  every  entry  from  1700  till  the  close  of  the  year  17 14, 
when  they  cease  to  appear,  though  the  same  handwriting  is  continued  to  the 
close  of  the  entries.  In  the  first  portion  of  the  period  referred  to,  these  marks 
have  had  a  pen  drawn  across  them  several  times.  The  two  strokes  are  often 
very  badly  made,  and  one  could  almost  imagine  they  varied  sufficiently  in 
their  outlines  to  indicate  to  the  writer  a  different  meaning.  In  one  instance 
at  least,  the  second  stroke  is  like  a  "d";  but  "xd's"  were  not,  I  presume,  known 
in  the  good  old  days  when  this  register  was  formed,  or  that  sign  might 
perhaps  have  been  appropriately  added  to  some  of  the  entries.  It  is  on  record 
that,  in  the  adjoining  congregation  of  Templepatrick,  the  charge  for  entering 
the  purpose  or  notice  of  marriage  was  i/-,  and  that  for  marriage  itself  8/-. 
It  would  have  been  interesting  if  something  more  definite  than  this  suspected 
check  mark  had  been  given. 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  old  book  contains  other  particulars  than  those 
pertaining  to  baptisms  and  marriages.  Some  of  these  may  be  briefly 
referred  to. 

The  person  who  makes  the  entries  during  thirty-six  years  gives  a  list  of 
"  30  I  "  (the  recorder's  way  of  writing  31)  elders  "  dead  in  my  tim."  He  also 
adds,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  would  follow  him,  some  facts  about  ministers 
and  other  matters  of  interest.  For  instance,  he  writes  in  an  informal  way, 
that  "  Mr  James  Cwningham  cam  in  1656  and  dyed  in  1670."  This  is  the 
minister  who  was  ejected  for  nonconformity,  by  Bishop  Jeremy  Taylor,  from 
the  parish  church  of  Antrim,  in  1661.  Again:  "  Mr  thomas  Gowan  minister 
in  Antrim  cam  1672  diyed  September  the  13  1683."  The  writer  discovered 
the  gravestones  of  these  two  ministers  in  Antrim  churchyard  about  twelve 
years  since.  They  had  long  lain  in  a  neglected  condition,  with  their  faces  down- 
ward, no  one  knowing  whom  they  commemorated.      "  Mr  Anderson  minister 


REGISTER    OF    OLD    PRESBYTERIAN    CONGREGATION    OF    ANTRIM.  1 89 

in  Antrim  cam  to  Antrim  feber  1685  and  left  it  1688."  "  Mr  Adair  cam 
1690  and  died  1698."     His  gravestone  is  still  to  be  seen  on  the  north  side  of 

Antrim  church.      "  Mr  Abernethy  cam  to  Antrim  [ ?]  in    1702  [and  left 

Antrim  and  went  to  dubling  Septmber  the  8  1730  the  Sabath  before  Mr 
dwchall  was  setled  with  us  as  our  minister].""*  "  agawst  the  18  1703  mr  John 
Abernethy  was  ordaned  minister  of  Antrim  in  the  meeting  hows  of  Antrim 
by  mr  mathew  Hatridg  "  (Matt.  Haltridge  of  Ahoghill  ?).'-'  "  Augawst  the  29th 
1703  a  porp :  of  marig  betwixt  Mr  John  abernethiy  and  mis  Shewsana 
Jordan."  "agwst  the  14  1730  mr  James  dwchhill  cam  to  Antrim  and  on  the 
16  of  it  which  was  owr  communion  Sabath  preached  and  served  two  tabels 
which  was  his  first  work  with  ws."  All  the  foregoing  items  about  ministers 
are  given  in  an  informal  manner  on  the  first  and  last  pages  of  the  book. 
To  these  the  following  is  added  :  "/Vprile  the  Tenth  1726  owr  cloak  was  Set 
wp  in  meeting  hows  being  a  gifft  given  by  mr  Georg  neilson  of  Antrim." 

The  term  "Rev."  is  never  applied  to  any  of  the  ministers  mentioned  in 
this  old  book  :  it  is  always  "  Mr." 

About  one- third  of  the  register  is  free  from  baptismal  and  marriage  records, 
which  proved  a  temptation  to  some  congregational  official,  forty  or  fifty 
years  later,  for  the  insertion  of  Sunday  collections  and  their  disbursement, 
and  for  payments  for  labour  and  other  expenses  connected  with  the  cultivation 
of  land  held  by  the  congregation.  Some  of  these  entries  furnish  glimpses 
of  customs  prevailing  among  labourers  which  would  now  be  considered 
unwise.  The  official  previously  referred  to  sets  down  in  one  place  "  a  nagin 
in  the  morning  3d  .  .  .  &  at  night  3  nagins  gd"  for  the  men.  One  day, 
three  labourers  were  paid  1/7^  in  wages,  and  "for  drink  in  Andy  Donelsons  " 
2/5^.  Another  entry  is  not  a  little  curious,  and  perhaps  suggestive  of  some- 
one having  had  a  "nagin"  too  much.  It  runs  thus:  "Alex"^  pd  the 
Carrman  I  supose  lo""  10''  "  Labourers'  wages  were  in  some  cases  6^d.,  and 
in  others  i/i  per  day.  On  one  occasion  1/3  was  paid  after  the  ingathering 
for  "a  churn." 

Some  persons  affirm  that  the  book-worm,  if  not  a  fabulous  animal,  is  at  all 
events  an  extinct  one.  I  think  it  is  neither  a  fabulous  creature  nor  an  extinct 
one.  It  has  left  its  marks  in  our  old  register,  about  forty  leaves  having 
perforations  ranging  from  the  size  of  a  pin's  head  to  an  inch  in  length,  but 
whether  these  are  of  recent  date  or  not  I  am  unable  to  say. 

Note. — It  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  add  to  the  foregoing  that  the  writer,  many  years 
ago,  became  imbued  with  the  desire  to  secure  mementoes  of  the  past  of  this  old  congregation 
for  preservation  in  the  vestry.  Accordingly  he  made  inquiries  in  various  quarters  respecting 
such,  and  for  a  long  time  his  efforts  were  fruitless.      He  is  pleased,  however,  to  say  they  have 

(1)  The  words  in  brackets  appear  to  have  been  added  afterwards  ;  probably  when  Abernethy  had  left 
Antrim.         , 

(2)  It  would  be  interesting  to  know  if  Matthew  was  any  relation  to  John  Haltridge,  minister  of  Island 
Magee,  whose  widow  was  the  person  who  gained  so  much  notoriety  at  the  trial  of  the  Island  Magee  witches 
in  1711.     She  was  one  of  the  principal  "  victims"  of  the  witches'  craft. — Ed. 


190 


THE    FRANCISCAN    FRIARY    OF    CREEVELEA,    CO.     LEITRIM 


latterly  been  rewarded,  with  the  following  results  : — Through  the  kindness  of  the  editor  of  this 
journal,  a  nicely-framed  portrait  of  the  Rev.  John  Abernethy,  M.A.,  first  minister  of  the  old 
meeting-house,  has  come  into  the  possession  of  the  congregation.  The  following  is  the 
inscription  at  the  back  of  the  picture:  "This  Portrait  of  the  Rev.  John  Abernethy,  who 
ministered  in  this  Meeting-House  from  1703  until  1730,  was  presented  to  the  Old  Presbyterian 
Congregation  of  Antrim  by  one  of  his  descendants,  Francis  Joseph  Higger  of  Ardrie,  Belfast, 
Easter,  1899."  A  copy,  made  by  the  Rev.  Clement  E.  Pike,  late  of  Holy  wood,  of  a  small 
pen-and-ink  portrait  of  the  Rev.  William  Bryson  at  the  age  of  46  years,  who  married  a 
grand-daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Abernethy,  and  ministered  to  the  old  congregation  from 
1764  until  1810,  and  died  in  1S15.  The  original,  made  by  Patrick  Bryson,  son  of  the 
Rev.  ^V.  Bryson,  is  also  in  the  vestry  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Congregation,  Belfast. 
A  silhouette  of  the  Rev.  James  Carley,  M.A.,  who  ministered  in  Antrim  from  181 1  till  1861, 
and  was  a  well-known  teacher  during  many  years  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  century,  presented 
by  a  local  gentleman  :  and  enlarged  photographs,  one  of  a  miniature  of  the  Rev.  lames 
Carley,  when  about  ]o  years  of  age,  and  the  other  a  striking  likeness  of  the  late  Rev.  Henry 
Montgomery,  i.l.d.,  l)rolher-in-lavv  of  the  Rev.  James  Carley  (they  married  sisters,  the  Misses 
Swann  of  Summerhill,  near  Antrim),  both  presented  by  Mrs.  M'Ferran,  surviving  daughter 
of  the  Rev.  J.  Carley,  and  widow  of  her  father's  immediate  suc<;essor,  the  Rev.  James 
M'Ferran.  There  are  also  three  water-colour  drawings,  one  of  the  interior  of  the  meeting- 
house, another  of  the  exterior,  as  seen  from  near  the  session  house,  with  the  old-fashioned 
outside  stairs,  and  one  of  the  session  house  itself — all  prior  to  the  renovation  of  the 
buildings  in  1891.  The  latter  three  were  kindly  presented  by  F.  W.  Lock  wood,  architect, 
under  whose  care  the  work  was  carried  out.  Other  interesting  articles  belonging  to  the  old 
congregation  are  six  silver  communion  cups,  each  8  oz.  in  weight,  three  large  pewter  flagons, 
nine  pewter  plates,  large  and  small,  and  three  copjier  collecting  spoons,  with  turned  and 
polished  handles.— W.  S.  S. 


Z\K  jfranciscan  Jfriarv'  of  Crccvclca,  in  the  Barony 
of  Brcffiiv\  Co.  Xcitrini. 


•HR  Rev.  J.  K.  MacKENXA,  m.k.i.a.. 
y.  i^,>S'  HJ^  lutiire  historian  of   h 


W.  A.  -SCOTT,  A.R.i.K.A. 


monasticism  will   find    in    tl 


luUowing  pages  a  faithful  description  of  a  most  interesting 
«>w„  ruin,  which,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  impression  Decay's 
tu^^  effacing  finger  has  already  left  upon  it,  will  have  di.sap- 
'^tj.c*^?^^  peared  long  before  he  comes  on  the  scene.  The 
ecclesiastical  and  civil  records  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries  will 
tell  him  of  the  fv/e  Creevelea  played  in  those  turbulent  times  ;  we  furnish 
him  with  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  great  friary,  not  indeed  as  it  was  in 
the  days  of  its  opulence,  but  as  it  is  in  its  stately  ruins. 

Throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  historic  Breffny,  there  is  man)-  a 
sheltered  sunlit  hill-side,  and  many  a  verdant  and  smiling  valley,  that  Owen 
O'Rourke,  prince  of  lircffny,  and  his  pious  wife,  Margaret  O'Brien,  might 
have  chosen  in  1508  as  the  site  of  the  magnilicent  home  they  had  determined 
to  build  for  the  Order  of  St.  Francis — but  none  more  picturesque  than  the 


THE    FRANCISCAN    FRIARY    OF    CREEVELEA,    CO.     I.EITRIM. 


one  they  selected.  They  were,  no  doubt,  attracted  by  its  hi-storical  associa- 
tions;  for  local  tradition  [)oints  it  out  as  the  site  of  a  church  founded  by 
St.  Patrick  :  and  when  we  remember  that  it  was  Fitioal/a,  the  fair-shouldered^ 
the  sister  of  the  Princess  of  Breffny,  and  wife  of  O'Donnell,  who  selected  the 
wildly  picturesque  site  of  Donegall  Abbey,  we  cannot  help  admitting  that 
the  scenic  beauties  of  Creevelea  had  much  to  do  in  recommending  it  to 
O'Rourke  and  his  wife. 


Viewed  from  the  village  of  Dromahair,  over  which  they  towt-r,  the  ruins 
of  the  friary  are  peculiarly  striking.  'Pheir  immense  proportions,  their  fallen 
greatness,  crowning  a  craggy  knoll,  remind  you  of  the  dignified  decay  of  the 
old  Rhine  fortresses.  The  babbling  Boned,  hurrying  on  to  join  the  waters 
of  Lough  Gill,  murmurs  a  perpetual  reijuiem  to  those  who  sleep  their  last 
sleep  around  the  friary  walls.  The  purple  heath  of  the  surrounding 
mountains  turns  to  wintry  gray,  and  back  again  to  purple,  as  it  did  when 
the  fair-shouldered  Fingalla  sent  a  small  band  of  Franciscans  from  Donegal 
to  occupy  Creevelea.  The  river  Boned,  which  turned  the  old  Franciscan 
mill,  still  works  a  corn  mill  further  down — but  how  changed  is  all  the  rest ! 

The  winding  avenue  which  led  to  the  abbey  was  often  thronged  from  morn- 
ing till  night  by  devout  worshippers  going  to  and  coming  from  the  different 
services  in  the  church,  and  by  the  poverty-stricken,  who  found  the  friars  the 
almoners  of  the  wealthy  and  the  charitable  ;  hut  now  its  carpet  of  soft  moss 
is  seldom  trodden,  except  by  an  occasional  funeral  cortege.  The  noble 
church,  which  once  resounded  with  the  alleluiah  of  praise  and  the  dirge  of 
lamentation,  is  now  roofless  and  deserted. 

"  I  stood  to-day,  'mid  the  ruins  gray, 
Of  a  church,  with  ivied  crest  ; 
'Twas  carpeted  with  green  sward  fair. 
It  had  a  silent,  solemn  air, 
As  if  all  Nature's  music  there 
Was  hushed  that  the  dead  might  rest." 


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The  prying  antiquary  finds  nothing  to  hinder  his  investigations  or  disturb 
his  calculations  in  Creevelea.  He  had  better  begin,  as  we  do,  with  the  ground 
plan,  which  gives  an  idea  of  the  vastness  of  the  building  and  of  the  somewhat 

peculiar  arrangement  of  its 
different  parts. 

Like  St.  Mary's  Abbey, 
Devenish,  Creevelea  has 
the  conventual  buildings  at 
the  north  side — a  decided 
departure  from  the  usual 
monastic  style,which  placed 
them  in  the  south  —  thus 
sheltering  them  by  the 
church  from  the  cold  north 
wind,  and  securing  for  them 
the  grateful  heat  and  cheer- 
ful brightness  of  the  sun. 
The  only  object  the  builders 
could  have  had  in  view  in 
departing  from  the  almost 
universal  arrangement,  both 
in  Devenish  and  Creevelea, 
was  to  avoid  cutting  off  the 
charming  scenery  that  lies 
to  the  north  of  either  build- 
ing. The  chapter  house 
was,  as  usual,  placed  near 
the  choir,  and  just  beyond 
the  sacristy.  It  was  entered  from  the  cloister,  and  also  communicated 
with  the  sacristy.  The  continuation  of  this  wing  towards  the  north  contained 
the  Guardians'  apartments  :  evidently  a  subsequent  addition. 

The  refectory  flanks  the  northern  wall  of  the  cloister.  It  is  a  spacious 
apartment,  measuring  35  x  20  feet.  Proceeding  further  west,  we  enter  a  hall 
which  opens  the  way  to  a  number  of  apartments.  A  stone  staircase  leads 
to  an  upper  floor,  on  which  the  dormitories  of  the  friars  were  placed. 
Another  passage  leads  to  the  kitchen,  store-rooms,  and  general  culinary 
department,  (ioing  further  west,  we  find  unmistakable  traces  of  a  stone- 
built  oven,  and  the  remains  of  a  large  open  fireplace,  which  appear  to  be  the 
work  of  the  seventeenth  century  planter,  who  tenanted  Creevelea  for  a  time. 
It  has  none  of  the  stability  of  real  monastic  masonry  about  it,  and  is 
clearly  an  addition  to  the  original  building.  Between  the  bakehouse  and  the 
churcli,  on  the  south  side,  were  a  number  of  small  compartments — probably 


-  P 


Creevelea  Fkiary— Ground  Plan. 


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193 


the  scriptorium  and  other  necessary  appendages  of  such  a  building.  The 
cloister,  which  ran  round  the  interior  of  the  hollow  square  of  buildings,  differs 
very  little  from  others  of  its  kind  ( see  frontispiece). 

Coming  to  consider  the  friary  in  detail,  we  are  struck  by  a  unique  feature 
of  the  general  outlines  of  the  structure.  There  is  no  haphazard  patching 
together  of  different  parts.  Most*  of  the  great  abbeys  of  Ireland  display  in 
their  remains  a  conglomeration  of  styles  and  tastes  in  architecture — a  neces- 
sary consequence  of  improvements  on,  and  extensions  of,  a  very  plain, 
serviceable,  original  building.  Each  community  began  with  bare  necessaries. 
It  flourished :  the  number  of  its  members  increased  ;  additional  accommoda- 
tion became  necessary;  and  as  the  finances  increased  and  multiplied, 
successive  abbots,  priors,  or  guardians,  acting  on  their  lights,  added  to  and 
beautified  the  church  and  domestic  buildings  after  the  style  that  was 
popular  in  their  day ;  with 
the  result  that  we  have,  as 
a  rule,  in  ancient  Irish  mon- 
asteries, a  heterogeneous 
conglomeration  of  almost 
every  conceivable  style  of 
building,  and  a  fairly  con- 
tinuous illustration  of  the 
series.  Creevelea  is  pecu- 
liarly interesting  as  furnish- 
ing a  striking  exception  to 
this  rule. 

The  munificent  gener- 
osity of  its  founders  secured 
its  completion  within  a  few 
years  from  the  laying  of  the 
foundation-stone ;  and  the 
shortness  of  the  space  that 
intervened  between  its 
completion  and  final  sup- 
pression prevented  its  archi- 
tectural unity  being  marred 
byadditions  and  alterations. 
Entering  the  church  from 
the  western  end,  a  magnifi- 
cent nave  opens  out  before 
us.  It  is  separated  from  the 
choir  by  a  massive  tower. 
In  the  distance  is  the  great 


East  Window  oi-  tiie 

Drcnvn  by  If.   J.  Fenncll  from 


Friary  Churi-h. 

a  Pho'o.  by  R.  IVelch. 


[94 


THE    FRANCISCAN    FRIARY    OF    CREEVELEA,    CO.    LEITRIM. 


three-light  Eastern  window— a  noteworthy  feature  of  the  church.  It  i.s  a 
beautiful  specimen  of  the  flamboyant,  as  distinguished  from  the  curvihnear 
or  leaf  tracery  of  the  English  style.  Like  all  the  other  mullioned  windows  of 
the  church,  it  has  stops  to  the  chamfers,  so 
that  the  foot  of  the  mullions  sit  square  on 
the  sill;  but  it  differs  from  them  in  having  IIiIIimI      IWfmtly^ 

these  stops  beautifully  carved  both  inside 
and  out,  and  nearly  all  are  of  different  designs. 
There  is,  however,  one  of  the  mullions  with- 
out stops,  and  it  runs  into  the  sill  in  the 
ordinary  way. 


«..«.Sc. 


.Mullions,  Easi-  W 


The  western  window  is  a  fine  specimen  of  flamboyant  tracerv,  of  three 
lights.  The  inside  had  a  curtain  arch  of  cut  stone  chamfered  on  both  edges, 
dying  into  a  point  at  the  jambs. 

The  choir  was  amply  lighted  by  four  two-light  windows,  having  rounded 
heads.  Their  mullions  have  the  peculiarity  already  noticed  at  their  junction 
with  the  sill.  The  altar  has  disappeared,  but  the  piscina  to  the  right  still 
remains. 

The  windows  of  the  arched  recess  on  the  east  side  are  similar  to  those 
of  the  choir, 


THE    FRANCISCAN    FRIARV    OF    CREEVELEA,    CO.    LEITRIM. 


[95 


Stone  Altar,  South  Chapel 


.<=.  c--^.  ?ft 


The  tracery  of  the  south  window,  in  the  gable  of  the  side  chapel,  has 
almost  disappeared.  There  is  not  enough  left  to  justify  an  nttempt  at 
restoration,  though  there  are  some  grounds  for  saying  that  it  was  of  the  same 
character  as  the  east  ivindow. 

^Nvi.U.'"^""^"'^^^^^'     '^^'^^ '"'I  Mill 


H     5^.^^«^^ 


ill  ' 


'"'-^:ii*^ 


Entrante,  South  Chapel. 

Two  round-headed  arches,  with  chamfered  angles,  and  springing  from  an 
octagonal  pillar  in  the  centre,  and  semi-octangular  pilasters  on  either  side, 
open  from  the  nave  to  the  south  chapel.  Its  chief  point  of  interest  is  the 
stone  altar  illustrated.  The  fried  and  chipped  surface  of  all  the  stones  in 
this  compartment  points  clearly  to  the  action  of  fire;  and  turning  to  the 
O 


196 


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Annals  of  the  Four  Masters,  we  find  that  the  friary  was  burned  down  in  the 
year  1536. 


Terminal  of  Moulding,  West  Door. 

The  western  door  of  the  church  is  formed  of  finely  punched  and  closely 
jointed  lime-stone,  and  is  unusually  small  in  proportion  to  the  rest  of  the 
structure.  Its  most  interesting  feature  is  the  hood-moulding,  which  all  but 
disappears  at  either  side,  to  burst  out  again  in  recklessly  bold  and  graceful 
terminals. 


Block  and  Hole  for  Bolt,  Western  Door. 

The  massive  cjuadrangular  tower  is  probably  a  later  insertion  in  the  church. 
It  is  supported  on  round  arches,  peculiar  in  their  construction  and  graceful 
in  appearance.  They  are  in  two  orders,  as  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the 
illustration.  The  inner  order  does  not  rest  upon  the  wall,  but  is  supported 
on  fine,  massive,  polished  corbels,  which  run  down  almost  to  a  point,  and 
seem  to  grow  out  of  the  flowers  and  other  ornamentations  below. 


All  the 


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97 


terminals  are  different  in  design  and  size,  and  are  treated  with  a  freedom 
that  is  rarely  met  with  in  such  work.  The  rere  vault  is  of  rough  stone  and 
plastered.      The  masonry  in  the  lower  portion  of  the  tower  is  of    regularly 


The  Towek  (from  Cloistek). 


punched  ashlar,   evidently  intended   to  remain   unplastered;    and    the  joints 
are  very  fine,  not  exceeding  yV  inch  in  some  places. 

A  spiral  stone  staircase,  entered  by  a  pointed  door  in  the  south-east  angle 


198 


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of  the  tower,  led  to  the  rooms  above.     The  first,  or  lower,  of  these  rooms 
has  a  squint  looking  into  the  choir. 

There  was  a  small  stone-roofed  porch  in  the  south  angle  between  the 
tower  and  side  chapel,  which  opened  both  to  the  tower  and  side  chapel. 
Both  nave  and  choir  had  doors  opening  to  the  cloister. 


Arch  of  Ckntkai.  Towkr. 


Of  the  domestic  buildings  we  can  say  but  little  to  supplement  the  informa- 
tion conveyed  by  the  ground  plan.  In  most  cases  only  a  few  feet  high  of  the 
walls  remain,  and  notwithstanding  the  careful  restoration  effected  by  the  Board 
of  Works  some  years  ago,  even  these  must  soon  disappear. 

Time  has  dealt  more  leniently  with  the  refectory  than  with  any  of  its 
neighbouring  apartments.  It  is  lighted  by  five  round-headed  windows,  two 
of  which  are  double  or  two-light,  the  remaining  three  being  single  or  one-light 
windows.  The  easternmost  window  has  a  peculiar  recess,  evidently  the  seat 
of  the  brother  who  read  to  the  community  during  meals.  The  fioor  of  this 
structure  is  raised  some  feet  above  the  general  floor-level;  and  on  the  top 
platform,  composed  of  a  single  large  wrought  fiag,  we  can  see  distinct  traces 
of  the  desk  that  stood  before  the  reader. 


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99 


The  cloister  is  the  only  other 
portion  of  Creevelea  which  calls 
for  special  notice  in  this  paper, 
and  it  might  well  claim  a  paper 
all  to  itself.  It  was  a  solid,  sub- 
stantial structure,  running  round 
three  sides  of  the  hollow  square, 
enclosed  by  the  church,  on  one 
side;  the  sacristy,  chapter-house, 
and  guardians'  rooms  on  another; 
the  refectory  and  culinary  depart- 
ment on  the  third  ;  and  the  other 
offices  and  departments  on  the 
fourth  side.  It  is  the  work  of  a 
designer    who   sought    durability 


\h/E'  1^    1 


Terminal  under  Tower. 


Terminal  under  Tower. 

(see  page  1 78),  and  who  relied  upon  sub- 
sequent generations  to  supply  ornament. 
We  cannot  assign  reasons  for  his  making 
the  arches  on  the  north  and  east  sides 
pointed,  while  those  on  the  south  walk 
along  the  church  are  round-headed ; 
but  we  must  give  him  credit  for  having 
provided  rising  artists  of  the  Order  with 
a  fair  easel  on  which  to  exhibit  their 
work,  no  matter  to  what  school  it 
belonged.  The  only  ornamentation 
that  remains  on  the  pillars  of  the  cloister 
are  two  reliefs — one  a  floral  knot,  the 
other  a  conventional  representation  of 
St.  Francis  preaching  from  a  pulpit, 
around  which  the  birds  of  the  air  have 
congregated. 

The  letters  A.  B.  D.  F.  H.  K.  M. 
N.  are  cut  on  the  pillars  of  the  southern 
colonnade.      The    absence    of    vowels 


200  THE    FRANCISCAN    FRIARY    OF    CREEVEI.EA,    CO.    LEITRIM. 

would  show  that  they  are  initial  letters,  probably  cut  by  the  friars  in  leisure 
hours.  If  they  ever  had  any  other  significance,  it  was  lost  in  the  re-erection 
of  the  pillars  during  the  restoration  by  the  Board  of  Works. 


y.^^^catTsfi 


Entrance  to  Staircase  in  Tower. 


Archdell  represents  the  possessions  of  the  friary  as  having  been  very 
extensive  — exactly  what  we  might  expect  from  the  generosity  of  those  by 
whom  it  was  built  and  endowed. 

He  is  clearly  wrong  in  asserting,  on  the  authority  of  Ware  MSS.,  vol.  34, 
that  the  friary  was  never  completed  :  all  the  existing  evidence  points 
to  the  opposite  conclusion.  It  was,  no  doubt,  destroyed  by  fire  in  1536,  when, 
as  Fr.  Purcell,  the  painstaking  historian  of  the  Order  in  Ireland,  tells  us,  the 
community,  besides  suffering  the  loss  of  many  valuable  books,  had  to  lament 
the  death  of  Heremon  O'Donnell,  one  of  the  brotherhood,  who  perished  in 
the  rtames  whilst  striving  to  save  the  sacred  vessels;  and  it  was  never  com- 
pletely restored.  Bryan  O'Rourke,  the  founder's  successor,  began  the  work 
of  restoration;  but  the  constant  wars  in  which  he  was  engaged  drew  him  away 


THE    FRANCISCAN    FRIARY    OF    CRKRVKI.KA,    CO.    LEITRIM.  20I 

from  this  work,  and  //  was  never  completed.     Sir  Richard  Bingham,  during 
his  operations  in  the  neighbourhood,  converted  the  church  into  a  stable  for 


St.   Francis  Pkeaching — Ornament  from  Cloister. 

his  troopers'  horses,  and  allowed  them  to  cook  their  victuals  on  a  fire  made 
from  the  beautifully-carved  furniture  of  the  choir.  The  planter  who  got 
possession  of  "the  abbey"  took  a  more  utilitarian  view  of  the  situation.  He 
carefully  preserved  the  church,  receiving  large  sums  of  money  from  the 
people  of  the  locality  for  the  privilege  of  burying  their  dead  within  its 
hallowed  precincts. 


Ornament  fro.m  Cloister. 


;rbe  Colvillc  jfainil^  in  'mister. 

By  JOHN   M.   DICKSON. 

(  Continued  fro77i  page  I4j.) 

[Note. — Since  the  former  paper  appeared,  the  writer  has  learned  some  further  particu- 
lars of  the  Galgorm  legend:  e.g.,  that  Dr.  Colville,  with  the  assistance  of  his  servants, 
plunged  the  iron  box  containing  the  Bible  and  bit  of  candle  into  a  deep  pool  in  the  river 
Maine,  which  has  ever  since  been  known  as  "  Colville's  hole,"  and  in  which  the  boys  at 
Gracehill  Academy  bathe  ;  among  whom  it  has  been  for  generations  the  ambition  of  the 
boldest  divers  "to  touch  Colville's  box."  Also,  that  on  several  occasions  when  Galgorm 
House  has  been  whitewashed,  it  was  impossible  to  make  it  take  a  good  colour,  which  the 
neighbours  have  accounted  for  by  ascribing  to  the  fact  that  "it  was  built  with  the  devil's 
money. "  This  belief,  so  far  as  it  goes,  tends  to  confirm  the  writer's  opinion  that  Dr.  Colville 
was  the  builder.  The  writer  also  learns  that  the  relative  from  whom  Dr.  Colville  inherited 
so  much  money,  and  who  spent  his  declining  years  at  Galgorm,  had  lived  much  in  the  West 
Indies  ;  and  having  lost  his  health  there,  rarely  ventured  out,  except  on  very  warm  days, 
when  he  might  be  seen  muffled  up  and  creeping  about  the  grounds  on  the  doctor's  arm. 
Casual  passers-by,  believing  in  the  doctor's  diabolic  intimacy,  commonly  assumed  that  the 
dark-complexioned  and  muffled  figure  was  no  less  a  personage  than  his  satanic  majesty 
himself,  which  they  might  the  more  readily  do,  as,  having  such  a  belief,  they  would  be 
inclined  to  keep  at  a  respectful  distance  from  the  pair.] 

N  a  previous  number  we  left  Sir  Robert  Colville  engaged 
in  rebuilding  Newtown  House,  as  a  residence  for  himself, 
on  his  County  Down  estates.  He  also  built  at  this  time 
a  private  chapel  in  Movilla  cemetery,  where  its  ruins  still 
remain,  in  which,  as  stated  in  M''Coml>'s  Guide,  several 
members  of  his  family  were  interred:  presumably  between  the  year  1675, 
when  he  acquired  the  estates,  and  the  building  of  the  vault  in  the  old  church 
in  Newtown,  on  the  death  of  his  third  wife,  Lady  Rose,  in  1693. 

According  to  Harris,  this  second  Newtown  House  shared  the  fate  of  its 
predecessor ;  but  possibly  some  confusion  of  dates  may  have  given  rise  to 
this  statement,  the  fire  of  1664  being  referred  to.  However,  whether  burned 
or  not,  upon  falling  into  decay,  its  materials  must  have  offered  a  tempting 
(juarry  of  cut  stone  to  later  builders,  as  scarcely  a  vestige  of  it  is  now  to  be 
found,  although  the  wall  enclosing  the  adjacent  castle  garden  remains 
unbroken.  A  very  different  spirit  has  been  shown,  however,  by  George 
Walker,  the  owner  of  the  factory  there,  who,  with  a  respect  for  antiquity 
worthy  of  mention  in  this  journal,  on  finding  the  old  entrance  to  the  castle 
garden  too  narrow  for  his  business,  moved  one  of  the  pillars  a  distance  of 
three  feet  without  disturbing  a  stone,  although  weighing  several  tons  of  ashlar 
masonry,  rather  than  interfere  with  the  ancient  work. 

The  period  in  which  Sir  Robert  Colville  now  found  himself  was  a  stormy 
one  in  Northern  politics,  covering  the  last  six  or  eight  years  before  the 
Revolution.      His  father,  the  staunch   Royalist,  had  been  laid  to  rest,  having 


THE    COLVILLE    FAMILY    IN    ULSTER. 


203 


outlived  the  usurpation  and  seen  the  king  brought  back  "to  enjoy  his  own 
again,"  amid  rejoicings  without  a  parallel  in  English  history  ;  yet,  in  spite  of 
the  rejoicings  at  his  restoration,  the  bonfires,  and  fountains  spouting  wine, 
"  the  merrie  monarch  "  had  failed  somehow  to  bring  in  the  milleniuni  :  he, 


LUFE IMME  T 


Sir  Robert  Colville  Arms  and  Inscription  in  the 

Newtownards.i^' 

Fj-uw  Rublui:g^  by  Francis  Josefh  Bigger. 


SEY  Church, 


too,  had  gone  the  way  of  all  flesh,  kingly  or  otherwise,  but  not  before  he  had 
disillusioned  his  most  enthusiastic  supporters. 

(1)  The  three  arms  and  inscriptions  here  given  are  from  the  three  altar  tombs  in  the  side  aisle  adjoining 
the  tower  on  north  side  of  the  old  Abbey  Church  at  Newtownards.  The  stone  slabs  are  cut  into,  and  the 
depression  filled  with  lead,  upon  which  the  arms  and  inscriptions  are  deeply  engraved  and  cut  through.  The 
size  of  the  lead  is  about  29  in.  by  17  in.     'i'hey  are,  in  our  opinion,  unique  in  Ulster. — Ed. 


204  THE    COLVILLE    FAMILY    IN    ULSTER. 

In  Ireland,  though  considerable  changes  had  taken  place  during  the 
generation  that  had  passed  away,  there  was  little  increase  of  peace  or  happi- 
ness :  it  still  remained  a  "  distressful  country,"  the  prey  of  greedy  and 
unscrupulous  adventurers,  who  degraded  politics  into  a  scramble,  in  which 
each  sought  to  secure  a  fortune  for  himself  out  of  the  general  confusion. 

In  two  respects  Sir  Robert  Colville  differed  from  his  father  :  in  his  politics 
he  was  a  Liberal,  and  we  find  him  always  acting  with  the  party  in  the  North 
who  favoured  the  Revolution  ;  he  was  also  on  more  friendly  terms  with  his 
Presbyterian  neighbours  :  this  we  learn  from  a  letter  of  Lord  Clarendon, 
dated  January,  1686,  and  addressed  to  Lord  Sunderland  : 

"Sir  Robert  Colville  is  looked  upon  as  a  great  favourer  of  the  Fanatics,  although  he 
goes  to  Church  himself:  he  is  a  man  of  a  very  great  estate  in  the  North.'" 

In  one  respect,  however,  we  find  he  resembled  his  father  closely.  Owing 
probably  to  feelings  of  envy  on  their  part,  he  was  much  calumniated  by  his 
contemporaries.  This  feeling  appears  in  most  of  the  references  to  him  in  the 
records  of  the  time  :  for  instance,  in  another  letter  to  the  Lord  Treasurer, 
February  5,  1686,  Clarendon  quotes  information  received  from  Lord  Mount 
Alexander  as  follows  : 

"  He  gave  me  some  time  since  an  information  of  one  Maxwell  against  Sir  Robt.  Colville, 
which  when  I  had  read,  though  there  appeared  to  me  to  be  no  great  matter  in  it,  I  thought 
fit  to  advise  with  my  Lord  Chief  Justice  Keyting  upon  it,  who  is  of  opinion  that,  considering 
the  words  were  spoken  of  the  King,  when  Duke,  and  several  years  since,  and  that  there  was 
but  one  witness,  it  would  be  best  not  to  make  any  prosecution  against  the  person.  My  Lord 
Mount  Alexander  told  me  there  has  been  some  little  difference  between  Sir  Robt.  Colville 
and  himself,  and  therefore  he  was  very  cautious  in  appearing  against  him." 

After  relating  some  further  gossip  about  negotiations,  on  Sir  Robert's  part, 
for  the  marriage  of  one  of  his  sons,  and  certain  overtures  as  to  obtaining  the 
title  of  Viscount  for  hirnself.  Clarendon's  letter  concludes  thus  : 

"When  the  King  has  all  before  him,  he  is  the  best  judge  whether  he  will  have  him 
prosecuted,  or  whether  he  will  dignify  him  with  any  title." 

In  a  further  letter  to  the  same,  of  February  27,  1686,  we  find  : 

"  I  have  scarce  ever  heard  a  man  more  variously  spoken  of  than  this  .Sir  Robt.  Colville. 
Some  very  good  men  give  him  a  great  character  ;  others,  as  good,  shake  their  heads,  and  say 
they  know  not  what  to  think  of  his  principles.  All  agree  that  he  has  a  great  interest,  ihat 
is,  a  great  estate  :  some  perhaps  envy  him  for  that." 

In  this  correspondence  the  ''seamy  side  "  of  Irish  politics  is  pretty  well 
exposed.  We  have  the  Lord  Lieutenant  gravely  reporting  to  headquarters 
paltry  gossip  that  had  reached  him  second-hand,  though  admitting  that  he 
sees  nothing  in  it :  a  view  of  the  matter  in  which  his  Lord  Chief  Justice 
concurs.  The  motive  in  all  these  references  probably  appears  in  the  promin- 
ence given  to  "the  great  estate"  of  Sir  Robert  Colville,  which  many  of  his 
neighbours  doubtless  thought  would  furnish  very  rich  pickings  for  them,  if  a 
writ  of  attainder  could  by  any  means  be  procured  against  him. 


THE    COLVILLE    FAMILY    IN    ULSTER.  205 

Sir  Robert  Colville's  name  appears  frequently  in  a  work  published  in 
London,  in  1690,  entitled:  "A  faithful  narrative  of  the  Northern  affairs 
of  Ireland,  from  King  James'  accession  to  the  crown  to  the  Siege  of 
Londonderry." 

The  powerful  Richard  Talbot,  Earl  of  Tyrconnel,  was  at  this  time  deputy 
(or  viceroy)  in  Ireland,  and  in  furthering  the  policy  of  James  II.  found  him- 
self opposed  by  the  Protestant  party  in  the  North.  Before  the  actual  breach 
between  them  arrived,  we  learn  from  this  authority  Tyrconnel  had  invited 
several  of  the  Northern  leaders  to  attend  him  in  Dublin, 

"  But  they  not  judging  it  safe  to  venture,  many  of  them,  lest  they  should  be  detained  as 
hostages,  nor  politic  wholly  to  despise  his  summons,  concluded  that  only  Sir  Robert  Colville 
should  be  entrusted  with  the  undertaking  ;  who,  being  very  kindly  treated  by  the  Govern- 
ment, was  dismissed  with  repeated  assurances,"  etc. 

"On  his  return  he  found  his  friends  engaged  in  a  project,  which,  as  well  in  respect  of 
his  promises  as  in  common  prudence,  he  thought  himself  obliged  to  oppose,  judging  it  not 
fit  to  incense  a  government  that  courted  them,  and  being  sensible  that  the  Northern  strength 
consisted  more  in  reputatii;)n  ihan  in  any  real  force  they  could  make  ;  but  all  his  endeavours 
were  in  vain,  and  his  advice  branded  with  the  epithets  cowardly  ami  Popish  by  those  who 
had  afterwards  reason  to  wish  they  had  yielded  to  such  moderate  counsels." 

A  scare  having  arisen  in  the  North  about  a  Roman  Catholic  rising  similar 
to  that  in  1641  (though  it  was  probably  groundless,  and  rested  only  upon  an 
anonymous  letter  addressed  to  Lord  Mount  Alexander),  the  gentry  of  the 
counties  of  Down  and  Antrim  met  at  Comber,  and  we  find  that  Sir  Robert 
Colville  was  chosen  one  of  the  council  ot  five  to  whom  was  entrusted  their 
defence,  the  others  being  Sir  Arthur  Rawdon,  J.  Hamilton  of  Bangor,  Sir  John 
Hawkins  and  James  Hamilton  of  Tollymore.  Connected  with  the  appoint- 
ment of  this  council,  we  have  another  display  of  the  "  seamy  side  "  of  Irish 
politics  referred  to. 

We  learn  from  the  "  faithful  narrative  "  that — 

"  Mr.  Jas.  Hamilton  of  Tollymore,  appearing  most  officious  on  this  occasion,  summoned 
only  such  as  he  knew  would  be  either  guided  by  his  counsels,  or  wanted  interest  to  oppose 
his  designs,  for  he  neither  summoned  Mr.  Annesley,  Sir  Robert  Maxwell,  Mr.  Ward, 
Mr.  Savage,  or  any  other  gentleman  whom  lie  believed  would  not  readily  resign  a  blind 
assent  to  his  humour,  though  they  were  otherwise  every  way  qualified  for  the  publick  service  ; 
but  that  which  happened  of  the  greatest  difiiculty  was  the  exclusion  of  Sir  Robert  Colville 
from  the  meeting,  whose  great  estate  in  the  county,  and  interest  in  the  very  town  where  they 
sate,  seemed  to  oblige  them  to  take  notice  of  him  :  but  it  was  contrived  that  the  gentlemen 
who  were  designed  for  the  council  assembled  on  the  i  jth,  at  which  time  the  methods  were 
concluded  on,  and  Sir  Robert  summoned  next  day  to  assent  if  he  pleased  to  what  he  could 
not  alter."' 

Hamilton  did  not  entirely  succeed  in  his  little  scheme  to  have  only  his 
nominees  elected,  as  we  learn  further 

"That  some  thought  others  were  better  qualified  both  in  interests  and  parts  for  a  charge 
of  that  consequence,  particularly  Sir  Robt.  Colville,  considering  his  fortune  was  almost  equal 
to  the  joint  income  of  the  other  five,  and  that  his  age  and  experience  rendered  him  much 
fitter  for  employment  of  that  nature  :  but  Hamilton  of  Tollymore  being  well  assured  that 
Sir  Robt.   would  not  be   prevailed  with  to  serve  any  private  designs,  passionately  opposed 


2o6  THE    COLVILLE    FAMILY    IN    ULSTER. 

all  motions  in  his  favour,  and  for  want  of  a  better  argument,  threatened  to  desert  the  assembly 
if  they  should  admit  a  proposal  so  adverse  to  his  interest. 

"Till  this  meeting  at  Comber,  many  thought  Hamilton's  earnest  solicitations  had  proceeded 
from  a  real  concern  for  the  Protestant  interest :  but  it  was  now  plainly  discovered  that  the 
whole  scope  of  his  designs  tended  to  settle  him  in  such  a  post  as  might  render  him  more 
remarkable  to  the  English  Government.  .  .  .  The  next  day,  according  to  the  return  of 
his  summonses.  Sir  Robt.  Colville  came  to  town,  on  whose  appearance  it  was  judged 
convenient  to  admit,  being  of  the  council,  hoping  thereby  to  reconcile  themselves  to  the 
gentlemen  of  the  country :  and  to  make  way  for  him  my  Lord  Mount  Alexander  was 
appointed  General  of  the  forces  of  the  counties  of  Down  and  Antrim. '" 

So  far  we  have  quoted  outside  references  to  Sir  Robert  Colville,  hostile  or 
the  contrary.  VVe  will  now  let  him  speak  for  himself.  Among  the  Hamilton 
manuscripts  two  letters  have  been  found  written  by  him  to  his  friend  William 
Hamilton  of  Edinburgh,  who  seems  to  have  consulted  him  on  some  difficult 
negotiation  in  which  he  was  engaged.  From  one  of  these,  dated  June  6,  1687, 
we  extract  the  following : 

"There  are  soe  many  circumstances  to  be  considered  and  of  soe  great  importance,  and 
I  have  none  here  to  discuss  with  as  it  is  not  fit  for  me  to  be  positive,  especially  being  a 
stranger  to  many  circumstances  as  might  give  great  clearness  ;  delays  have  their  inconveni- 
ences as  well  as  to  push  forward.  .  .  .  What  may  seem  best  may  prove  worst,  and  yet 
you  will  observe  what  was  granted,  and  tho  more  than  ordinary,  how  it  was  taken  and 
thought  not  enough,  whereby  it  may  be  observed  where  the  wind  bloweth  most  favourably 
now.     .      .     .      Men  must  doe  the  liklyest  and  leave  the  event  to  God." 

Another  letter  to  the  same,  of  Dec.  9,  1687,  concludes  thus  : 

"What  your  new  motive  is  I  know  not,  but  Tm  persuaded  it's  just,  soe  wish  you  good 
success.'" 

When  the  final  breach  with  King  James's  Government  took  place  in  1688, 
we  find  Sir  Robert  Colville's  name  among  the  ten  noblemen  and  gentlemen 
who  were  exempted  from  all  mercy  on  account  of  their  prominence  on  the 
Revolutionary  side.  As  to  the  statement  quoted  above  that  he  had  been 
scheming  to  obtain  the  title  of  V'iscount  from  James's  Government,  its  best 
refutation  lies  in  the  fact  that,  upon  the  success  of  the  Revolution  and 
accession  of  William  HI.,  he  received  no  title,  though  his  family  and  connex- 
ions would  have  made  such  an  honour  a  legitimate  and  reasonable  ambition 
on  his  part,  while  his  large  estates  would  have  enabled  him  to  support  the 
dignity  of  the  position.  It  is  evident  he  never  pressed  his  claim  to  be 
rewarded  for  his  political  services  on  William's  Government :  had  he  done  so 
he  could  hardly  have  been  refused,  having  risked  not  only  his  estates  but  his 
head  for  their  cause.  On  reviewing  all  the  evidence,  it  appears  clear  that 
Sir  Robert  Colville,  while  "astute,"  as  his  enemies  asserted,  was  also  an 
honourable  and  broad-minded  man. 

Of  his  second  marriage  the  writer  can  find  no  record  ;  his  third  wife,  the 
"Lady  Rose,"  buried  beside  him  in  the  family  vault  in  Newtownards,  was 
grand-daughter  of  Sir  Moyses  Hill,  the  founder  of  the  Downshire  family,  and 
was,  from  the  name,  probably  mother  of  the  "  Rose  Colville  "  mentioned   in 


THE    COLVILI.E    FAMILY    IN    ULSTER. 


207 


the  following  letter 
written  by  "an  old 
inhabitant  of  New- 
townards"  during  the 
famous  County  Down 
election  in  1805, 
when  Col.  John 
Meade,  son  of  Lady 
Clanwilliam,  unseat- 
ed Robert  Stewart, 
the  Lord  Castlereagh 
of  "  Union"  notoriety : 

"  I  beg  leave  to  re- 
mind the  gentlemen  of 
Newtownards  that  the 
Countess  of  Clanwilliam, 
mother  of  the  present 
Noble  Candidate,  Col. 
Meade,  is  grand-daughter 
to  Rose  Colvilk,  who  was 
born  in  the  Castle  of  your 
town,  her  father's  resi- 
dence, he  being  the  pro- 
prietor of  that  estate  long 
before  the  Stewart  family 
was  known  in  the  County 
of  Down." 

This  lady  was 
most  probably  mother 
of  his  son  Hugh,  also 
buried  in  Newtown- 
ards, who  died  in 
I  701,  anno  lEtatis  25, 
having  married  Sarah 
Margetson,  grand- 
daughter of  Col.  John 
Caulfield  of  Co. 
Tyrone,  of  which  mar- 
riage two  children 
were  born  :  Robert, 
afterwards  Memberof 
Parliament     for    the 


Lady  Rose  Colville  Arms  and  L\scriptio> 
Abbey  Church,  Newtownards. 

(Dotted  lines  denote  the  portions  missing.) 
From  Ruhbing  by  Francis  Joseph  Kigser. 


borough  of  Antrim,  the  last  male  of  the  name  in  the  direct  line,  who  died 
without  heirs  in  1749,  and  upon  whose  death  his  sister  Alicia  (who  had 
been  married  in   17 19  to  Stephen  Moore,  M.  P.  for  Tipperary,  and  afterwards 


THE    COLVILLE    FAMILY    IN    ULSTER. 


the  first  Lord  Mount- 
cashel)  became  the 
sole  heiress  of  the 
Colville  property.  In 
this  year,  probably 
for  family  reasons, 
the  County  Down 
estates  were  sold  to 
Alex.  Stewart,  the 
founder  of  the  Lon- 
donderry family,  who, 
having  married  an 
heiress  (one  PvLary 
Cowan),  was  able  to 
pay  some  ^70,000 
for  them. 

Besides  the  direct 
descendants  of  Alex. 
Colville,  D.D.,  there 
was  a  collateral 
branch,  of  which 
some  members  de- 
serve notice.  On  the 
26th  of  July,  1696, 
we  find  one  Alex. 
Colville  was  ordained 
minister  of  the  Pres- 
byterian congregation 
of  Newtownards :  that 
he  was  a  relation 
brought  over  from 
Scotland  by  Sir 
Robert,  and  pre- 
sented to  the  living 
in  his  own  town, 
there  can  be  very 
little  doubt.     Among 

the  rights   appertain- 
Iluc.n  Colville  Arms  and  Insckh'tion  in  -niE  Ahhev  >=  '^ 

Church,  Newtownards.  ing  to  the  estate  are 

(The  impaled  shield  is  now  a  blank.)  mentioned     "  all     pre- 

From  Rubbing  by  Fraticis  Joseph  higgor.  1 

sentations";  and  we  know  that  in  Scotland  these  were  then  usually  vested 
in  the  "  Heritors,"  or  lords  of  the  soil,  a  practice  still  surviving  in  some  places 


1H10{§!HI  (MM 


IPTSg®  TIE  ^ 

37  m  Mm 

TATE  '  ■ 


THE    COLVILLE    FAMILY    IN    ULSTER.  209 

there,  and  Sir  Robert's  nominee  and  relation  would  be  all  the  more  acceptable, 
as  we  learn  above  that  he  was  "a  great  favourer  of  the  Fanatics."  Then 
his  Christian  name,  Alexander  (given  also  to  his  son),  had  been  the  favourite 
one  in  the  line  descended  from  the  "  Commendator  of  Culross  "  aforesaid  ; 
while  tradition  runs  that  they  belonged  to  the  same  family  as  Sir  Robert. 

The  Rev.  Alex.  Colville  removed,  in  1 700,  to  the  then  more  important  congre- 
gation in  Dromore,  where  he  died  suddenly  in  his  pulpit  in  17 19.  Although 
not  so  well  known  as  his  son,  his  independence  of  character  is  sufficiently 
indicated  by  the  fact  of  his  being  one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the  famous 
"  Belfast  Society,"  which  confessedly  included  the  most  learned  and 
intelligent  ministers  and  laity  of  the  Presbyterians  in  the  North  of  Ireland. 

Upon  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Alex.  Colville,  his  congregation  were  so  much 
attached  to  him  that  they  decided  to  keep  their  pulpit  vacant  until  his  son 
Alexander  (who  had  graduated  M.A.  in  Edinburgh,  and  was  then  studying 
medicine)  should  take  his  divinity  course.  On  its  completion  in  1724,  he 
was  "  called  "  to  Dromore  ;  but  on  refusing  to  sign  the  Westminster  Confession, 
he  was  refused  ordination  by  the  Armagh  Presbytery.  On  this  he  appealed 
to  the  Synod ;  but  expecting  an  adverse  decision  from  them  also,  he  repaired 
to  London  in  Dec.  1724,  and  had  himself  ordained  in  Dr.  Calamy's  vestry. 
On  his  return  to  Dromore,  the  Synod  not  only  refused  to  instal  him  and 
suspended  him  for  preaching  for  three  months,  but  held  the  threat  of  suspen- 
sion over  any  minister  who  should  hold  ministerial  communion  with  him. 
Whatever  effect  their  action  had  on  the  other  ministers,  it  had  none  whatever 
on  Colville,  who  continued  to  preach  in  defiance  of  their  sentence ;  and  on 
the  25th  of  October,  1725,  had  himself  installed  by  three  members  of  the 
Dublin  Presbytery  and  one  from  Munster.  These  high-handed  proceedings 
produced  some  division  in  the  congregation  ;  but  the  great  majority  (over  four 
hundred  heads  of  families)  adhered  to  him,  and  to  these  he  continued  to 
minister  for  more  than  fifty  years.  As  he  took  out  his  degree  of  M.D.  in 
1730  (five  years  after  his  settlement  in  Dromore),  and  as  in  his  will,  dated  1772, 
he  describes  himself  as  "minister  of  the  Gospel  and  doctor  of  physic,"  it  is 
probable  that  he  practised  both  "  cures  "  concurrently,  but  these  did  not  by 
any  means  exhaust  his  activities ;  he  took  a  large  part  in  public  affairs,  so 
much  so,  that  during  the  second  Pretender's  war  in  1745,  when  a  Jacobite 
rising  in  Ireland  was  feared,  he  received  a  commission  from  Lord  Chester- 
field to  raise  a  troop  of  dragoons,  which  he  armed  at  his  own  expense  and 
commanded  in  person.  He  died  of  apoplexy  in  Dromore,  in  1777,  in  his 
78th  year,  leaving  several  daughters  and  one  son,  Maturin,  to  whom  he 
bequeathed  "  his  seal  and  coat-of-arms."  From  the  name  given  to  his  son,  it  is 
probable  that  he  had  married  a  member  of  the  Huguenot  family  of  that  name. 

One   of  his  daughters  married   the  Rev.  Patrick,  Presbyterian  minister 

in  the  adjoining  parish  of  Magherally;    who,  upon  being  called   before  his 


2IO  THE    COLVILLE    FAMILY    IN    ULSTER. 

session,  and  censured  for  having  married  the  daughter  of  "the  arch-heretic," 
repHed  very  sensibly,  that  "in  marrying  Miss  Colville,  he  had  no  intention 
that  she  should  enter  his  pulpit,  and  that  when  she  did  so  he  would  consider 
their  interference  justifiable."  It  is  satisfactory  to  report  that  Mrs.  Patrick 
soon  endeared  herself  so  much  to  her  husband's  congregation  that  no  more 
was  heard  of  sessional  interference ;  nor  can  there  have  been  any  breach  of 
friendship  between  Patrick  and  the  "arch-heretic,"  as  the  latter  bequeathed 
his    books    "to    his    son-in-law,    Mr.    Patrick."      Another    of    Dr.    Colville's 

daughters  having  married Monroe  of  Roe's  Hall,  Co.  Down,  was  mother 

of  Dorothea,  better  known  as  "the  beautiful  Dolly  Monroe,"  and  referred  to 
by  Goldsmith  in  the  Haiaich  of  Venison.  She  was  a  famous  beauty  at  the 
Viceregal  court  of  Lord  Townshend,  who  indeed  himself  showed  her  such 
marked  attention,  that,  expecting  a  proposal  from  him,  she  refused  several 
very  eligible  offers.  On  his  marrying  a  rival  beauty,  Miss  Montgomery,  she 
became  the  wife  of  Thomas  Richardson  of  Richhill,  M.P.  for  Co.  Armagh. 
Two  portraits  of  this  lady,  by  Angelica  Kauffman,  may  be  seen  in  the  National 
Gallery  in  Dublin,  in  one  of  which  she  appears  with  her  aunt,  the  Countess 
of  Ely,  who  had  also  been  a  Miss  Monroe.'" 

Dr.  Colville's  only  son,  Maturin,  who  was  an  officer  in  the  Army,  did  not 
long  survive  his  father,  having  soon  afterwards  lost  his  life  during  the 
American  War  of  Independence,  about  1779.  Desertion  was  very  rife  at  that 
time  among  the  British  troops;  and  it  seems  that  in  some  action,  while  leading 
his  men  to  the  attack,  Maturin  Colville,  observing  symptoms  of  wavering 
under  the  enemy's  fire,  and  misunderstanding  their  motive,  rushed  to  the 
front  to  encourage  his  men,  who  seized  the  opportunity  to  shoot  him  down 
and  desert  in  a  body.     So  fell  the  last  of  the  Colvilles. 

"  Faithful  found 
Among  the  faithless,  faithful  only  he." 

In  endeavouring  to  trace  the  memorials  of  this  family,  we  have  traversed 
a  period  of  about  a  century  and  a  half.  The  records  remaining,  though  scanty, 
are  sufficient  to  prove  that  these  Colvilles,  living,  as  they  did,  through  trying 
times,  were  all  men  who  showed  the  courage  of  their  convictions,  and  whose 
force  of  character,  while  it  gained  them  warm  friends,  and  enemies  quite  as 
warm,  made  them  a  power  not  by  any  means  to  be  overlooked  or  left  out  of 
the  reckoning  in  any  public  movement  within  the  sphere  of  their  influence. 

(1)  For  a  biographical  sketch  of  "Dolly  Monroe,"  see  Some  Celebrated  Irish  Beauties  of  tlie  Last 
Century,  by  Frances  Gerard,  published  in  London  :  J.  Ward  &  Downey,  Ltd.,  12,  York  Buildings,  Adelphi, 
W.C.     1895.-ED. 


personal  IRccoUections  of  tbc  iBcoinniiuj  of  tbc 
dentur^. 

By   THOMAS   McTEAR. 
Edited,  with  Notks,  by  Francis  Joseph  Bigger,  m.r.i.a. 

( Keadtrs  will  observe  thai  this  aiiOiint,  relating'  to  events  which  occurred  at  the  bet^innin^ 
of  the  ceiitjoy,  was  wrilte7i  about   1882.^ 

(  Continued  from  page  J74.  ) 

SOME    EARLY    FRAUDS    IN    BELFAST. 

During  my  apprenticeship  in  Belfast 
there  Hved  a  merchant  named  Campbell 
Sweeny,  whose  business  premises  were  in 
Callender  Street.  He  was  a  gentleman  in 
a  good  position  and  of  supposed  wealth, 
residing  in  Chichester  Street,  between 
Callender  Street  and  Arthur  Street.  He 
had  several  children,  one  of  whom  was  a 
school-fellow  of  mine.  He  had  in  his 
ofifice  a  clerk  named  Hamilton.  This 
clerk  he  took  into  partnership  some  time 
previous  to  18 14,  and  the  firm  became 
known  as  Campbell  Sweeny,  Sons  & 
Hamilton  —  at  least,  such  the  public 
supposed  was  the  name  of  the  firm. 
Under  this  name  they  carried  on  an 
extensive  trade  until  181 7,  when  Hamilton  absconded  with,  what  was  supposed, 
a  large  sum  of  money.  About  the  same  time,  my  masters  (Jas.  Cunningham 
&  Co.)  received  a  power-of-attorney  from  correspondents  in  Trinidad,  requiring 
them  to  take  proceedings  against  Campbell  Sweeny,  Sons  &  Hamilton,  to 
recover  the  amount  of  a  large  sum  of  their  acceptances  to  bills  of  exchange 
drawn  by  the  Trinidad  firm  in  payment  of  a  cargo  of  sugar,  shipped  by  them 
to  their  order,  and  which  bills  had  been  returned  protested  for  non-payment. 
On  receipt  of  these  documents,  it  was  found  that  Hamilton  had  absconded, 
having  previously  destroyed  all  books  of  account,  letters,  and  documents, 
and  nothing  was  found  but  the  furniture  of  the  ofiice,  and  no  trace  of 
property  of  any  description.  The  sons  were  minors  at  school,  and  of  course 
P 


Thomas  McTear  of  Belfast. 


2  12      PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY. 

not  liable.  The  father  denied  his  liability  on  the  plea  that  the  firm  was 
written  "  Campbell  Sweeny's  Sons  &  Hamilton,"  and  not  Campbell  Sweeny, 
Sons  &  Hamilton;  that  Hamilton  had  robbed  him  of  all  he  possessed,  and 
could  not  be  found,  and  that  he  was  ruined.  Proceedings  in  bankruptcy 
were  taken  against  the  firm,  but  no  assets  were  discovered.  Hamilton's 
signature  of  the  firm  to  the  letters,  acceptances,  and  documents,  was  proved 
to  be  Campbell  Sweeny's  Sons  &  Hamilton;  and  the  elder  Sweeny  was 
declared  not  a  partner.  Sufficient  funds  were  not  recovered  to  pay  the 
costs  of  bankruptcy.  The  whole  family  left  Belfast,  and  I  never  heard  of 
them  since.  The  two  brothers,  partners  in  the  Trinidad  firm,  died — one 
by  his  own  hand,  and  the  other  by  disease:  and  that  was  the  ending  of  this 
unfortunate  drama. 

Belfast,  during  the  last  century  and  beginning  of  the  present,  was  notorious 
as  the  headquarters  for  smuggling  tobacco,  silks,  spirits,  and  other  articles 
sulijected  to  high  duties  on  importation,  just  as  Liverpool  was  notorious  for 
slave-dealing  at  same  time.'"  Many  cases  of  this  kind  of  fraud  came  umler 
my  notice  at  Belfast  about  1820.  Madder  is  a  plant  growing  wild  in  many 
parts  of  Europe,  and  has  been  long  cultivated  in  Holland,  as  its  roots 
produce  the  finest  scarlet  and  bright  coloured  dyes,  extensively  used  in 
dyeing  and  printing  woollen,  linen,  cotton,  and  other  fabrics.  Belfast  at  that 
time  had  more  numerous  and  extensive  dyeing  and  printing  works  than  at 
present,  and  cargoes  of  ground  madder  roots  were  frequently  discharged  at 
the  quays  from  vessels  from  Holland.  On  one  occasion,  a  Dutch  galliot 
arrived  in  Belfast  from  Holland  with  a  full  cargo  of  ground  madder  in  large 
casks,  consigned  to  one  of  our  most  respectable  houses,  with  orders  to  pay  the 
duty  on  it,  which  was  trifling,  and  warehouse  it  for  the  orders  of  a  Dutchman 
named  Vanderpot.  This  was  accordingly  put  in  execution,  and  the  cargo  was 
in  [)rocess  of  landing  and  carting  away  to  the  stores  of  Hugh  Wilson  &  Sons, 
the  consignees,  when  I  happened  to  be  present.  One  of  the  casks  by 
accident  fell  out  of  the  slings  and  was  broken  in  the  fall,  showing  that  the 
cask  was  packed  with  bales  of  tobacco  with  madder  around  them.  The 
whole  cargo,  both  in  store  and  on  board,  was  examined,  and  every  cask 
was  found  packed  in  the  same  manner  with  small  bales  of  tobacco,  evidently 
intended  to  be  smuggled  at  convenience  of  Vanderpot.  Hugh  Wilson  &  Sons 
proved  themselves  innocent  agents  of  the  fraud,  but  it  was  a  valuable  seizure 
for  the  officers  of  customs. 

I  was  once  a  witness  also  to  a  most  daring  and  extraordinary  attenipt  at 
smuggling,  and  was  innocently  the  means  of  it  being  detected.  I  happened  to 
be  standing  on  the  Donegall  Quay,  opposite  our  office,  when  I  observed  a 
lighter  coming  up  with  the  tide,  and  my  attention  was  drawn  particularly  to  her, 

(1)  A  very  interesting  account  of  tlie  old  Belfa-t  merchant  families  could  be  given  on  this  subject,  dealing 
with  the  West  Indian  trade,  slave-dealing,  sn\ungling,  etc.  I  have  some  notes  on  this  subject,  and  would  be 
obliged  for  others. — El). 


PERSONAL    RECOIXECTIONS    OF    THE    BEGINNING    OF    THE    CENTURY.      213 

as  limestone  was  piled  on  her  deck  as  if  she  was  loaded  with  it,  while,  at  the 
same  time,  she  appeared  to  he  very  light  for  so  heavy  a  cargo.  A  custom  house 
officer  whom  I  knew  was  near  me  at  the  time,  and  I  made  this  remark  to  him, 
when  he  immediately  suspected  something  was  wrong,  and  said  he  would 
follow  the  lighter.  There  were  lime  kilns  on  the  shore  opposite,  with  a  channel 
to  them  a  short  way  below  the  bridge,  and  the  lighter  made  for  this  channel 
and  the  lime-kilns.  My  friend  boarded  her  on  arrival,  and  on  the  limestone 
being  removed  her  cargo  was  found  to  consist  of  twenty-five  large  hogsheads 
of  Virginia  tobacco,  which  became  a  valual)le  prize  to  him;  the  lighter  also 
was  condemned,  and  the  men  punished.  Just  at  the  same  time  a  captain  of 
a  schooner  was  in  the  office  of  a  notary  public  of  the  town,  making  a  protest 
that  his  vessel  had,  during  the  previous  day,  foundered  at  the  mouth  of  the 
lough  on  her  voyage  from  (ireenock  to  Dublin  with  a  cargo  of  coals  and 
twenty-five  hogsheads  of  tobacco,  and  that  she  lay  in  deep  water  outside  in 
the  channel  This  prt;test  never  was  finished,  for  the  captain  was  inHjrmed  of 
the  seizure  of  the  lighter  before  its  completion,  no  doubt  by  one  of  his  men 
who  had  been  watching,  and  immediately  made  off.  The  author  of  this  stupid 
attempt  was  found  to  be  a  Dublin  man,  who  had  [lurchased  the  schooner, 
tobacco,  and  coals  at  Greenock,  and  had,  along  with  a  friend  there,  given 
bond  for  the  duty  to  be  landed  at  Dublin.  These  two  men,  therefore,  were 
convicted,  and  made  to  pay  dearly  for  this  foolish  and  wicked  business. 


Zbc  parieb  of  BeiT^keicjban  (County?  Bntrim) 
for  Zbvcc  dcntmice. 

By  THOMAS  CAMAC. 
(Continued  frot7i  page  i6i.) 

Benvarden  Presbyterian  Congregation 

had  its  origin  in  one  of  those  splits  formerly  so  common  throughout  Ulster, 
which  came  about  as  follows: — The  minister  of  Toberdoney  Secession  Congre- 
gation, John  Miller,  a  Scotchman,  signified  his  intention,  in  1857,  of  joining 
the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  wishing  the  Toberdoney  people  to  become  con- 
nected with  that  body.  Part  of  the  congregation  were  willing  to  follow  their 
minister,  but  the  other  part,  which  would  seem  to  have  been  the  majority, 
treated  the  proposal  with  their  most  unswerving  opposition.  A  lawsuit  ensued, 
with  regard  to  which  party  should  own  the  meeting-house,  ending  in  a  verdict 
against  the  minister  and  his  party;  whereupon  they  resolved  to  build  a 
meeting-house  for  themselves,  and  to  this  end  obtained  from  John  Mont- 
gomery, Benvarden,  in  March,  1859,  a  rood  of  ground  in  the  townland  of 
Carncoggy,  where  the  edifice  was  erected.  The  Rev.  John  Miller  died  in 
1862,  and  during  his  charge  the  congregation  was  in  connection  with  the 
Free  Church.  After  his  death,  Benvarden  was  taken  in  charge  by  the 
Assembly.  The  next  minister  was  also  a  Scotchman,  James  Macmichael, 
whose  stay  here  was  brief,  as  he  returned  to  Scotland  in  little  more  than  a 
year,  and  was  succeeded,  in  1865,  by  John  Ross,  a  County  Derry  man,  who, 
becoming  involved  in  financial  difficulties,  obtained  as  his  assistant  and 
successor  James  Colhoun,  a  native  of  Derry  city,  who  was  ordained 
20  December,  1893.     An  addition  was  built  to  this  meeting-house  in  1868. 

Dervock  Covenanting  Congregation. 

Fully  half  a  mile  from  Dervock,  by  the  road  leading  to  Derrykeighan 
old  churchyard,  and  at  some  distance  from  the  road,  up  a  winding  lane 
which  runs  to  the  hamlet  of  Crofthead,  stands  Dervock  Covenanting 
meeting-house,  more  familiarly  known  as  "  the  mountain  meeting-house." 
To  the  modern  Covenanter  its  rather  lonely  situation  will  serve  to  recall 
memories  of  the  days  when  his  co-religionists  in  Scotland  were  forced  to  betake 


THE    PARISH    OF   DERRYKEIGHAN.  215 

themselves  "to  the  mountain  and  the  wood,"  that  they  might  worship  God 
after  their  own  manner. 

During  the  reign  of  Charles  II.  a  "turbulent  licentiate"  of  the  Route 
Presbytery,  named  David  Huston,  was  a  source  of  much  annoyance  to  the 
ministers.     Unable    to    brook   ecclesiastical   restraint,  and    persisting   in    his 


\  \ 


DEk\0(_K  Covenanting  Meeting  house 


irregular  conduct,  he  was  several  times  suspended  by  the  Presbytery,  and  as 
often  owned  his  faults  and  taken  back  into  communion  ;  but  he  was,  in  1687, 
finally  suspended.  Upbraiding  his  brethren  for  what  he  termed  their  "  time 
serving  "  in  abandoning  the  covenant,  and  disliking  William  III.  because 
he  failed  to  take  vengeance  on  the  Roman  Catholics  after  the  Battle 
of  the  Boyne,'^' this  extraordinary  and  erratic  individual  formed  "societies" 
of  the  discontented  Presbyterians  throughout  the  counties  of  Derry  and 
Antrim.  In  all  probability  the  congregation  of  Carnaff,  Dervock,  had  its 
origin  in  one  of  these  societies. 

After  the  death  of  Huston,  the  members  of  these  societies,  afterwards 
called  Reformed  Presbyterians,  were  held  together  and  ministered  to  by 
several  itinerant  preachers  from  Scotland,  and  Dervock  was  without  a  stated 
minister  until  1783,  when  James  McKinney,'"'  a  native  of  County  Derry,  and 
a  graduate  of  Glasgow  University,  was  ordained.  There  is  no  record  of  when 
the  meeting-house  was  built,  which  probably  happened  well  on  in  the  last 
century ;  for  when  we  consider  the  poverty  of  the  times,  and  the  paucity  of 
the    Covenanters,  it   is  very  unlikely   there  was    any  house    for    worship    at 

(1)  Reid,  vol.  ii.,  pp.  328-352,  417  ;  also,  Covenanter,  vol.  ii.,  p.  413  ;  and  Hill's  M pntgo»iery  Manuscripts, 
p.  275. 

(2)  For  some  account  of  McKinney,  see  Covenanter,  i860;  also,  Witherow's  Presbyterian  Memorials. 


2l6  THE    PAKISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN. 

Dervock — at  least  during  the  time  of  Huston.  McKinney,  it  has  ah'eady  been 
shown,  was  forced  to  flee  to  America ;  where,  it  appears,  he  became  rather 
a  distinguished  minister  and  anti-slavery  orator.  He  died  in  Carolina  in 
1802.  While  minister  of  Uervock  he  lived  on  a  farm  at  Kirkhills,  and 
portions  of  his  furniture  and  kitchen  utensils  are  still  preserved  by  a  family  in 
the  locality. 

'l"he  congregation  was  vacant  until  1S04,  when  W.  J.  Stavely  was  ordained. 
He  was  son  of  Rev.  \V.  Stavely,'^'  who  suffered  imprisonment  for  his  political 
opinions  in  '98.  Dr.  Stavely  is  now  chiefly  remembered  for  his  long  pulpit 
discourses.  He  died  in  December,  1864,  having  previously  resigned  the 
duties  of  the  ministry  in  1S60,  and  was  succeeded  by  James  Brown,  who 
was  also  minister  of  Ballymoney  Covenanting  congregation.  Brown  died  in 
1883,  and  was  succeeded  by  a  native  of  Donegal,  Ezekiel  Teaz,  during  whose 
ministry  the  building  received  a  complete  renovation.  The  Rev.  Ezekiel 
Teaz,  having  accepted  a  call  from  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  congregation  of 
Liverpool,  was  succeeded  by  the  present  minister,  James  A.  S.  Stewart,  formerly 
minister  of  Limavady,  who  was  installed  in  1895.  There  are  no  documents 
extant  bearing  on  the  date  of  the  erection  of  the  first  meeting-house. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  inscription  on  the  monument  of  the  Rev.  W.  J. 
Stavely  in  Kilraughts  Covenanting  burying-ground: 

ERECTED 

BY  THE  REFORMED  PRESBYTERIAN  CONGREGATION 

OF  DERVOCK  AND   BALLYMONEY 

IN  MEMORY  OF  THEIR  BELOVED  PASTOR 

THE  REV.  WILLIAM  JOHN  STAVELY,  D.D. 

BALLYBOYLAND 
BORN    I2TH    OCT.    1780,  DIED  4TH    DEC.   1864 

FOR  28  YEARS   MINISTER 
OF  DERVOCK  AND  KILRAUGHTS 

AND  FOR  52  YEARS  AFTERWARDS 
OF  DERVOCK  AND  BALLYMONEY. 
HE  WAS  AN  ACCOMPLISHED  SCHOLAR 
AN  ELOC^UENT  PREACHER,  A  SUCCESSFUL 
PASTOR,  A  DIGNIFIED  AND  DEVOTED 
SERVANT  OF  GOD. 

Dervock  Roman  Catholic  Chapel. 

We  may  suppose  the  number  of  native  inhabitants  of  Derrykeighan  to 
have  been  greatly  reduced  after  the  devastating  wars  of  the  sixteenth  century. 
The  plantation  of  the  Scots,  and  the  vengeance  with  which  the  Presbyterian 
army  of  Monroe  visited  the  Irish  for  their  part  in  the  war  of  1641,  would  still 

(1)  .See  A,  ,>•//>■/„..,  «////,„/ .S7,vA //<■.;,  by  Rev.  Samuel  Keruuson.      Dcry,  1807. 


THE    PARISH    OF    DERRYKEIGHAN.  217 

further  tend  to  decimate  the  number  of  Roman  CathoHc  inhabitants.  The 
first  intimation  we  have  of  their  numbers  is  contained  in  the  return  of  the 
Rev.  Irwin  Stuart,  made  to  the  House  of  Lords  in  1766,  which  says:  "Popish 
famihes,  12."  Allowing  five  persons  in  each  family,  this  would  give  us  the 
Roman  Catholic  inhabitants  of  the  parish  as  60  in  all.  From  the  beginning 
of  the  sixteenth  until  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  we  have  no 
account  of  any  place  where  mass  was  celebrated  in  Derrykeighan.  However, 
some  time  early  in  the  present  century,  mass  was  said  in  the  village  of 
Dervock  ;  but  this  having  given  displeasure,  it  was  stopped. 

The  owner  of  the  Lisconnan  estates,  Dr.  Allen,  j  p.,  in  1835,  gave  Father 
Denvir  the  site  for  a  chapel  at  Alagheradonnell,  about  half  a  mile  from 
Dervock,  at  the  nominal  rent  of  i/-  per  year.  The  chapel  was  erected  by 
the  next  priest  of  Hallymoney,  Father  Macartan,  at  a  cost  of  ^80,  of  which 
sum  he  collected  ^30  in  Liverpool.  Through  the  exertions  of  Father 
MacErlean  the  chapel  was  considerably  enlarged,  a  school-house  built, 
and  the  ground  enclosed,  in  i860,  at  a  cost  of  ^,703,  and  was  dedicated 
in  that  year  by  Dr.  Denvir,  Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor.  The  names 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  families  in  and  about  Dervock  at  the  building 
of  the  chapel  (1845)  ^\'ere,  from  what  I  can  glean,  MacCann,  Scally,  Killen, 
Fee,  Dumigan,  Donegan,  Doherty,  MacBride,  O'Brien,  English,  Hergin, 
Laverty,  Scullion,  and  McGoogan.  There  is  no  priest  resident  in  the  parish, 
the  duties  being  performed  by  the  liallymoney  clergy.  The  residents  in 
Drumtullagh  worship  at  l>allinlca,  in  the  parish  of  Ballintoy.  (Authorities: 
O'Laverty's  Down  and  Connor^  vol.  iv  ;  also  a  booklet  by  the  late  Father 
MacErlean,  entitled  Ballxmoney  and  Dertykei^^han.) 

i  I'o  be  LOiitinue.l. ) 


Zbc  meter  l[)oluntccr6  of  '82:  tbcir  flDcbale, 
Ba^Ge0,  jflao6,  dc 

( Continiieil  from  page  gj.) 

In  Older  to  make  this  whole  subject  complete,  so  far  as  Ulster  is  concerned,  the  Editor  requests  that  all 
those  who  have  such  articles,  or  any  other  Volunteer  relics,  will  enumerate  and  describe  them,  or  entrust 
the  same  to  him   to  make  illustrations  from,  when  they  will  be  safely  returned. 

/IDeDal  of  tbc  CarricftferQus  Volunteers. 

By  ROBERT  DAY,  f.s.a.,  Cork. 

N  McSkimmin's  History  of  Carrickfergus  will  be  found 
an  account  of  the  formation,  continuance,  and  final 
disbanding  of  the  Volunteers  of  that  town  during  the 
last  quarter  of  the  eighteenth  century  In  1779,  seventeen 
of  its  patriotic  citizens  sent  a  deputation  to  Mariott 
Dal  way,  inviting  him  to  act  as  their  superior  officer;  and  he  having  consented, 
their  ranks  were  at  once  filled  up  to  a  total  of  seventy-two  men,  who  elected 
the  following  as  their  officers  :  — Stephen  Rice,  John  Haddock,  Thomas  Legg, 
John  Moore,  William  and  James  Craig,  jun.  Their  uniform  was  scarlet, 
faced  with  green,  and  all  were  clothed  and  disciplined  at  their  own  charges. 
A  stand  of  colours  was  presented  by  James  Craig,  sen.,  and  their  exercise 
ground  was  adjoining  his  Majesty's  castle.  In  this  year  the  Corporation 
granted  them  ^120  out  of  their  revenue,  in  trust  to  Mariott  Dahvay,  to 
purchase  sixty  stands  of  arms  for  his  company ;  and  on  the  first  of  the 
following  July  they  also  granted  ^60,  in  trust  to  Thomas  Legg,  for  a  similar 
purpose;  and  in  the  same  year  the  Volunteers  attended  a  review  in  Belfast. 

This  is  the  company  that  had  in  its  ranks  the  recipient  of  a  medal  which 
I  have  recently  acquired.  It  is  of  silver,  and  oval  in  form,  measuring  2  by 
I  Yt,  inches,  with  loop,  and  made  of  two  convex  plates,  protected  at  the  edge 
by  a  plain  rim.  Engraved  upon  the  obverse  is  the  inscription  :  "  To  John 
Mansel,  of  the  Carrickfergus  Company,  for  Skill  at  Arms,  from  Cap'- 
Dahvay,  1780."  llie  reverse  has  in  the  field  a  cross-hilted  sword  in  pale, 
point  down,  and  passing  through  a  royal  crown;  above,  "Volunteers  of 
Ireland"  ;  below,  "  Manus  hx'c  inimica  tyrannis"  (this  hand  is  hostile  to 
tyrants).  The  emblem  may  signify  that  without  the  sword  the  authority  of 
the  crown  could  not  exist,  and  the  King's  writ  could  not  run;  or  it  may  have 


THE    ULSTER    VOLUNTEERS    OF 


THEIR    MEDALS,    BADGES,    ETC. 


219 


conveyed  a  very  opposite  meaning,  more  in  keeping  with  the  motto  on  the 
medal.  The  full  sentence,  of  which  it  is  a  part,  reads  :  "  Manus  hcec  inimica 
tyrannis;  ense  petit  placidum  sub  libertate  quietem"  (this  hand  is  hostile  to 
tyrants;  by  aid  of  the  sword  seeks  calm  repose  under  freedom). 


The  Dalway  Carrickfergus  Volunteer  Medal. 

This  was  written  in  the  album  of  the  University  of  Copenhagen  by 
Algernon  Sidney,  when  Ambassador  from  the  English  Commonwealth  at  the 
Court  of  Denmark.  Sidney  also  repeated  it  in  the  book  of  mottoes  in  the 
Royal  library  of  the  same  city;  when  Terlon,  who  was  the  French  Ambassador, 
happening  to  see  it,  and  not  understanding  the  meaning,  was  told  the  words 
contained  a  revolutionary  sentiment,  tore  them  from  the  book. 

This  premier  company  of  the  Carrickfergus  Volunteers  was  not  at  the  great 
meeting  of  the  delegates  of  Ulster,  who  met  at  Dungannon  on  15  February, 
1782.  But  at  a  meeting  held  on  the  12  March  following,  at  Carrickfergus, 
the  resolutions  passed  at  Dungannon  were  unanimously  adopted  and 
confirmed. 

In  1784,  another  company  of  the  Volunteers  was  enrolled,  called  the 
"  Carrickfergus  Royalists,"  of  which  the  Earl  of  Donegall,  who  furnished  their 
arms,  was  colonel.  Their  uniform  was  scarlet,  faced  blue,  and  they  were 
presented  with  two  stands  of  colours  by  the  Hon.  Joseph  Hewit.  They 
ceased  to  assemble  about  1786. 

In  1792,  the  "Carrickfergus  True  Blues"  were  formed.  Their  clothing 
was  blue,  and  they  were  armed  and  accoutred  at  their  own  expense.  Their 
numbers  never  exceeded  forty-eight.  In  February,  1793,  the  Lord  Lieutenant 
issued  a  proclamation  against  the  assembling  of  armed  bodies,  and  so  ended 
the  "  Volunteers  of  Ireland,"  who  were  followed  by  the  militia  regiments, 
numbered  from  i  to  38  inclusive,  who  were  enlisted  in  that  year. 


THE 

ANCIENT   CHURCHES 


ARMAGH: 

BEING  THE  SUBSTANCE  OK  A  PAPER  READ  BEFORE  THE  ARMAGH 

NATURAL  HISTORY  AND  PHILOSOPHICAL  SOCIETY, 

ON  THE  14TH  OF  MARCH,   i860. 

By  WILIJAM  REEVES,  d.d.,  Vicar  of  Lusk. 

LUSK: 
PRINTED  FOR  THE  AUTHOR. 


MDCCCLX. 

In  aicordance  zvith  /he  promise  made  in  the  fit  st  niiniber  of  ihis  joujnal,  to  republish  some 
of  the  scarcest  pamphlets  pom  the  pen  of  the  late  Bishop  Kteves,  the  above  invaluable  faper  has 
been  selected  as  the  first.  The  follozvins;  notice,  printed  on  the  hack  of  half-title  of  o>  ii^inaf 
shows  the  ivell-hnoivn  generous  spirit  of  the  -writer  :  "  Five  hutuirea  copies  of  this  Lecture  have 
been  printed,  the  proceeds  of  which,  at  half-a-crown  a-piccc,  the  wiiter  intends  to  devote  to  the 
repair  0/  the  Kound  Tower  at  Lusk.  J^ersons  disposed  to  further  this  object  by  taking  copies, 
can  be  siipplitd,  post  free,  on  application  to  the  writer  at  the  I'icarage,  Lusk,  County  oj 
Dublin." 

(The  (Tburcbcs  of  arniaoh. 

(Continued  from  vol.  iv.,  page  22S.) 

Appendix. 
A. — The  Navan. 

xlTT^  he  elliptical  entrenchment  in  the  townland  of  Navan,  and 
54^^  parish  of  Eglish,  called  tJie  Navan  fort,  encloses  a  space  of 
.^j/x     about  twelve  acres,  and  represents  a  regal  abode  of  extreme 


''M^ 


\\:^    antirjuity.     Eatnhaiii  was  the  name  it  bore,  which,  in  com- 


'fjt'^^^^'^k*^  bination  with  the  reputed  founder's  name,  was  frequently 
called  Eamham-Macha.  It  is  said  to  have  been  the  seat  of  the  Ulster 
sovereignty  for  600  years,  during  which  period  a  series  of  kings,  whose  names 
are  recorded,  are  stated  to  have  reigned  here,  namely,  from  Cimbaeth  and 
Macha  Mongruadh  to  Fergus  Eogha,  who  fell  at  Achalethderg  in  332.  In 
this  year  it  was  demolished,  and  having  passed  into  the  hands  of  new  pro- 
prietors, was  granted  to  the  Church  at  an  early  date.      Thus  the  church  of 


THE  ANCIENT  CHURCHES  OF  ARMAGH.  22  1 

Armagh,  as  possessor  of  the  old  provincial  palace,  occupied  a  secular  basis  of 
great  importance.  The  tradition  in  1609  (as  recorded  in  the  Armagh  Inquisi- 
tion of  that  year),  was  that  it  had  been  the  gift  of  David  Derrag  O'Hanlon. 
Such  was  the  name  by  which  Daire  Dearg,  the  donor  of  Armagh,  was 
familiarly  known  at  that  date.  It  was  situated  in  the  territory  of  Coswoy, 
which,  with  Coscallen,  Toaghy,  and  Duogh  MuntercuUen,  constitutes  the 
present  barony  of  Armagh.  The  Irish  name  CAiiiAin  forms  6AiiinA  in  the 
genitive,  and,  in  a  Latin  document  of  1374,  assumes  the  form  Hewynina. 
In  1524  it  appears  as  Eaivavn  :  in  1609,  as  Einvyn  (the  exact  form  in  which 
it  is  rendered  by  Connell  Mageoghegan  in  the  Annals  of  Clonmacnois,  at 
580);  and  in  1633,  the  x\a:van,  which,  with  the  modern  A^avaii,  owes  its 
initial  N  to  attraction  from  the  article  in  the  compound  An6<.\iiu\in.  In  the 
Four  Masters,  at  898,  we  meet  with  the  compound  6Anu\m  OenAij,  'Emhain 
of  the  fairs.'  There  seems  to  have  been  a  place  in  the  neighbourhood  called 
Aeuach  Mac/ia,  for  though  Dr.  O' Donovan  is  disposed  to  identify  this  name 
with  Eamhaiii  Mac/in,  yet  its  severalty  is  implied  in  the  Four  Masters  at 
3579,  the  Annals  of  Ulster  at  1021,  and  both  at  1103,  especially. 

Eamhain  was  burned  and  laid  waste  in  332,  and  was  never  inhabited 
again.  Like  Jericho  and  Sebastopol,  it  seems  to  have  been  placed  under  a 
banii.  In  the  year  577,  Tighernach  records  the  rrimum  periculum  Uladh  in 
Eamain ;  and  at  578,  ^ibrevcrsio  Uladh  de  Emnnia,  which  probably  signifies 
the  unsuccessful  issue  of  an  attemjjt  made  by  the  Ulidians  to  regain  possession 
of  the  place.  In  754,  they  gained  a  battle  here  over  the  Hy  Neill.  The 
ecclesiastical  occupation  of  Emania  exhibits  itself  in  X145,  in  which  year  "a 
lime-kiln,  which  was  sixty-feet  every  way,  was  erected  opposite  Eamhain 
Macha,  by  (iillamaclaig,  successor  of  Patrick,  and  Patrick's  clergy  in  general." 
But  in  1387  of  the  Four  Masters,  we  find  it  in  lay  possession.  At  this  time 
Niall  O'Neill,  grandson  of  Domhnall,  designated  "  Donnell  of  Ardmagh,"  was 
chief  of  Tyrone,  and  titular  king  of  Ulster.  His  ancestors  had  intruded 
on  this  territory,  and  he  himself  had,  by  force  or  favour,  become  arch-seneschal 
of  the  Primate.  But  his  object  seems  to  have  been  to  oust  the  Church  rather 
than  serve  its  chief.  He  had  taken  possession  of  the  district  neighbouring  to 
Armagh  on  the  west,  and  stretching  to  the  Blackwater  (called  by  the  Irish 
CLuAm  "OAbAil,  '  Meadow  of  Dabhall '  or  the  Blackwater,  afterwards  softened 
to  Clomiul  or  Glenaul,  and  called  Cloiidouyll  in  the  annexed  document,  now 
known  as  the  parish  of  Eglish);  and  there,  in  that  part  occupied  by  the  Navan 
Fort,  he  laid  a  plan  to  ensconse  himself,  which  he  had  in  meditation  for 
fourteen  years  ere  he  carried  it  into  effect.  The  following  document,  from 
Primate  Sweteman's  Register,  shows  in  what  light  his  conduct  was  then 
regarded,  and  especially  his  design  on  Heivyiuiae  or  the  Navan  ;  and  a 
comparison  of  this  with  the  succeeding  extracts  from  the  Four  Masters,  while 
it  serves  as  an  exponent  of  their  brief  narrative,  must  tend  to  confirm   our 


222  THE    ANCl£NT   CHURCHES    OF    ARMAGH. 

esteem  for  those  simple,  and  ofttimes  meagre,  but  most  truthful  chronicles. 
The  reader  will  observe  the  term  lanfordum,  which  is  nothing  more  than  a 
Latin  form  of  the  Irish  word  ton5poi\c,  'a  fortified  residence,'  and  which  is 
familiar  as  a  proper  name  in  the  county,  the  barony  of  Galway,  and  the 
seventeen  townlands  in  various  parts  of  Ireland,  which  are  called  Longford. 

"DiLECTis  nobis  in  Christo  salutem  gratiam  et  benedictionem.  Quia 
multa  Deo  et  beato  Patricio  patrono  nostro  et  nobis  enormia  ac  nimis  pre- 
judicialia  de  [Nelano  On]  eyll  a  quampluribus  Christi  fidelibus  in  secret© 
quasi  confessionis  nobis  referuntur,  qui  nobis  aliter  exponere  non  audebant,  ut 
per  infrascripta  plenius  appareat ;  que  si  vera  sint  vel  falsa  adhuc  penitus 
ignoramus  :  In  primis  quod  idem  Nelanus  ausu  diabolico  et  sacrilege,  post 
recessum  nostrum  de  vestra  ecclesia  ultimum,  publice  minabatur,  et  quotidie 
minatur,  se  velle  facere  manerium  sive  lanfordum  suum  apud  Heivy^inae  prope 
Ardmacham,  que  fuit  et  est  terra  beati  Patricii  et  nostra,  nobis  invitis.  Item 
quod  omnes  terras  de  Clondouyll  intendit  suo  perpetuo  tenore  ut  suas. 
Item  quod  omnia  terras  et  tenementa  beati  Patricii  Ardmachie  et  nostra, 
vendicat  falso  tum  esse  sua;  et  quod  nee  nos  nee  clerici  nostri  quicquam 
ibidem  habebimus  nisi  ecclesiam  tantummodo  cathedralem  ;  ac  si  esset  papa 
vel  imperator  infidelis,  Deo  et  ecclesie  inobediens.  Et  si  sit  ita,  relapsus  est 
in  heresim,  a  qua  per  nos  certis  modis  et  formis  unitati  ecclesie  fuit  restitutus. 
Et  quia,  ut  prediximus,  premissa  non  credimus  esse  vera,  et  etiam  in  ultimo 
statu  nostro  vobiscum  promisimus  nolle  acriter  procedere  contra  eundem 
Nelanum  nisi  primitus  requisito  vestro  fideli  consilio.  Et  preterea  quod  idem 
Nelanus,  cum  suis  complicibus,  ingrediens  decanatum  nostrum  de  Tulaghog, 
fecit  spoliari  nostros  ecclesiarum  ibidem  Rectores,  Vicarios,  et  alios  Christi 
ministros,  usque  ad  nuda  corpora.  De  quibus  omnibus  et  singulis  per  vos 
sub  penis  privacionum  a  vestris  dignitatibus  et  ofificiis  quibuscumque  volumus 
et  vobis  mandamus  modo  possibili  quo  poteritis  nos  certificari  infra  octo  dies 
a  tempore  receptionis  presentium.  Vosque  domine  Cancellarie  cui  in  hac 
parte  vices  nostras  committimus  per  presentes  ex  parte  officii  nostri  ad  pro- 
cedenduni  contra  Gylbertum  Omolduyn,  canonicum  pretensum  ecclesie  nostre 
Ardmacane,  et  ecclesie  Clogherensis  et  Rathbotensis  filium,  presbiterum, 
cognoscendum  et  diffiniendum  canonice  contra  eundem,  cum  cujuslil)et 
canonice  cohercionis  potestate,  eo  maxime  quod  idem  ingratissimus  clericus 
pretensus  aliter  informavit  dictum  Nelanum,  amicum  nostrum  laicuni,  contra 
nos  et  ecclesiam  nostram,  aliter  quam  debuit,  perjurium  notorie  incurrendo, 
procedatis.  Super  quibus  nos  certificari  per  vos  volumus  de  hujusmodi  pro- 
cessu  contra  eundem  facto,  cicius  quo  bono  modo  poteritis,  cum  omnia 
premissa  ipsum  Gylbertum  tangentia  sint  nobis  et  ut  credimus  vobis  ita  publica 
et  notoria  quod  nulla  poterunt  tergiversatione  celari  :  qua  causa  ordinem  juris 
non  observare  est  ordinem  juris  observare,  in  tantum  quod  in  tali  processu 
non  requiritur  nisi  citacio  et  condempnacio.     Et  hec  omnia  facialis  sub  penis 


THE    ANCIENT    CHURCHES    OF    ARMAGH.  223 

superius  annotatis.     Valete   ut   optamus.     Scriptiim   vi.   die  mensis  Augusti, 
anno  Domini,  M".  CCC""".  LXXIIir°. 

"  Milo  Archiepiscopus  Armachanus,  Hibernie  Primas,  magne  distinctionis 
viris,  magistris  Odoni  et  Mauricio,  ecclesie  Ardmacane  Decano  et 
Cancellario,  ac  aliis  Canonicis  residentibus  ibidem  in  Capitulo." 

Registrum  Johaunis  Swetetna)i,  fol.  i  b. 

In  the  Annals  of  the  Four  Masters,  under  the  same  year — namely,  1387, — 
we  have  two  entries,  referring  to  the  same  occurrence,  which  differ  slightly  in 
their  language,  and  appear  to  have  been  drawn  from  different  sources  : — 

"A  house  was  built  at  Eamhain  Macha  by  Niall  O'Neill,  King  of  Ulster, 
for  the  entertainment  of  the  learned  men  of  Ireland." 

"A  house  was  erected  at  Eamhain  Macha  by  Niall  O'Neill,  for  there  was 
not  any  house  within  it  for  a  long  time  till  then." 

The  former  of  these  notices  sets  forth  the  jirobable  pretext  under  which 
Niall  O'Neill,  whom  Primate  Sweteman  calls  Nela/ii/s,  sought  to  disguise  his 
usurpation.  In  the  interval,  he  feigned  great  submission  to  the  Primate,  and, 
in  company  with  his  wife,  waited  on  him  in  his  house  at  bishop's  Court, 
near  Armagh,  where  he  made  the  profession  stated  in  the  following  docu- 
ment : — 

"Salutem  gratiam  et  benedictionem.  Mirari  non  sufficimus  de  eo  quod 
quando  ultimo  eramus  Armachie,  ///  maiwrio  nostra  infra  Laciini  prope 
Armachiam,  Nelanus  Oneyl,  pater  vester  et  sua  uxor  Anna  filia  nostra  dilecta 
nos  informarunt  fjualiter  clerici  capituli  ecclesie  nostre  Ardmacane  insurgerent 
contra  nos  cum  omnibus  viribus  eorum.  Hiis  dictis,  prefatus  Nelanus  primo, 
sine  aliqua  requisitione  nostra,  accipiendo  infra  manus  suas  librum  nostrum 
missalem  voluntarie  juravit  in  forma  (jue  sequitur  :  Ego  Nelanus  Oneyl  tactis 
hiis  sacrosanctis  Evangeliis,  et  per  me  deosculatis,  juro  quod  ego  defendam 
vos  Archiepiscopum  Ardmacanum,  Hibernie  Primatem,  contra  omnes  clericos 
vestros  de  Capitulo  omnibus  viis  et  modis  qui  bus  potero.  Et  consimile 
juramentum  prestitit  predicta  uxor  sua.  Propterque  confidentes  in  predicto 
Nelano,  ratione  sui  dicti  juramenti  prestiti,  commisimus  eidem  Nelano  ofificium 
Archisenescalli  nostri,  licet  prius  Archisenescallus  noster  fuerat,  cum  potestate 
levandi  omnes  redditus  nostros  de  Ardmachia  et  'Fulachoge,  et  aliis  locis 
vicinis,  ad  commodum  nostrum,  et  nostram  utilitatem.  Pro  quibus  redditibus 
nostris  optinendis  et  nobis  mittendis,  misimus  nuncium  nostrum  Gylcomy 
Orylchan  versus  dictum  Nelanum,  qui  stetit  cum  eo  per  unam  quindenam 
continuam,  sed  nichil  ab  eo  ad  opus  nostrum  recipere  potuit,  sed  ad  nos 
reddiit  vacuis  manibus.  Et  extunc  intelleximus  quod  dictus  Nelanus  per 
quosdam  falsos  clericos  nostros  fuit  informatus  nos  fuisse  excommunicatos  in 
curia  Romana ;  propter  quod  dictus  Nelanus  non  audebat,  ut  asseritur,  nobis 
respondere  de  dictis  redditibus  nostris,  sicut  excommunicatione  manente;  sed 
quia  absolutionem  optinuimus  a  curia  Romana  ab  excommunicatione  predicta. 


224  THE  ANCIENT  CHURCHES  OF  ARMAGH. 

et  copiam  ejusdem  ahsolutionis  dicto  Nelano  misimus  una  cum  Uteris  nustris 
per  dictum  nuncium  nostrum,  qui,  ut  communiter  dicitur,  fuit  captus  per 
nostrum  Decanum  pretensum,  vel  alios  suo  nomine,  et  spoliatus  vestibus  suis, 
et  per  tres  dies,  et  dictis  Uteris  et  copia  absolucionis,  (jue  nondum,  ut  dicitur, 
pervenire  poterat  ad  dictum  Nelanum,  culpa  dicti  Pecani  pretensi  et  suorum. 
Ouare  vos  rogamus  quatenus  ista  premissa  intimare  velitis  patri  vestro,  ipsum 
inducendo  quod  nobis  satisfaciat  de  redditu  nostro  predicto,  ne  cogamur 
contra  ipsum  ad  penas  perjuni  procedere,  et  acrius  quam  credat,  quod  non 
intendimus,  nisi  per  ipsum  fuerimus  compulsi.  Responsum  vestrum  si  idem 
a  patre  vestro  receperitis  in  hac  parte  nobis  indilate  mittatis,  nostris  precibus 
et  amore  etiam  spoliatus.  Valete  ut  optamus  in  Christo  Jesu  Domino 
nostro.  Scriptum  die  Jovis  in  Octaba  Ascensionis  Domini,  anno  Domini, 
M".  CCC°.  LXXVD.  Registrum  Milonis  Swefef?ian,  fol.  i  a. 

The  son  to  whom  the  above  letter  was  addressed  was  probably  Niall  Oge, 
who  succeeded  his  father,  in  1397,  and  died  in  1402. 

As  regards  the  townland  of  Navan.  it  comprises  155  acres,  and  is  held 
under  the  See  of  Armagh.  In  1633,  it  consisted  of  three  balliboes,  called 
Landereagh,  Cloghanneegurra,  and  Cloghanneesceyliaght.  For  an  account  of 
the  modern  condition  of  the  Navan  Fort,  see  Dr.  Stuart's  Armagh,  pp.  578, 
579  ;  and  the  Ordnance  Survey  of  the  county,  sheet  12.  Also,  for  the  ancient 
legends  of  it,  see  Keating's  Piistory,  vol.  i.,  pj).  176,  342-344,  ed.  Haliday  ; 
and  pp.  123,  246,  247,  ed.  O'Mahoney  ;  Tighernach's  Annals,  h.c.  305,  ah. 
322;  Colgan,  Trias  Thaum,  p.  6  A,  note  15;  O'Maherty's  Ogygia,  p[).  [16], 
105,  169,  181,  258;  O'Donovan's  Notes  on  the  Four  Masters,  at  4532  (p.  73), 
754  (P-  3S7)>  '3^7  (707)- 

B. — Origin  of  the  name  Armagh. 
Archbishop  Ussher  (Works,  vol.  vi.,  p.  414),  and  others  after  him,  conjec- 
tured that  the  name  Ardniarha  was  derivetl  from  Ard  'high,'  and  Macli^ 
'a  plain,'  which  to  some  may  seem  a  ])lausil)le  etymology;  but,  as  Dr. 
O'Donovan  observes,  "No  Irish  scholar  ever  gave  it  that  inter[)retation  " — 
(Four  Masters,  457,  p.  143).  The  truth  is,  we  must  seek  lor  the  origin  of  the 
name  in  the  mythological  [)eriod  of  Irish  History,  and  make  our  choice  among 
the  three  sources  which  our  pagan  legends  furnish  us  with.  The  Dinnsennchus, 
from  which  the  following  extract  is  takeii,  is  contained  in  the  l^ook  of  Lecan, 
a  venerable  manuscrii)t  belonging  to  the  Royal  Irish  Academy;  and  the 
passage  cited  is  to  be  found  at  folio  255  bb.  For  it  and  its  translation  I  am 
indebted  to  my  friend,  luigene  Curry.'" 

Aril  Macha,  whence  named  ?  Answer.  Madia,  wife  of  Neniidh,  son  of  Adhnoman,  t 
was  that  died  and  was  buried  there  :  and  il  was  one  of  the  12  plains  which  were  cleared  by 
Neniidh  in  Erinn  ;  and  he  gave  it  to  iiis  wife,  who  gave  it  her  name,  Unde  Ardmacha. 


THE  ANCIENT  CHURCHES  OF  ARMAGH. 


=  25 


Aliter.  Macha,  daughter  of  Aedh  Ruadh.  It  was  by  her  Emain  Macha  was  erected  ; 
and  here  she  was  buried  when  slain  by  Rechtgi  Riderg  ;  ami  it  was  to  lament  her  Aenach 
Macha  was  instituted.      Unde  the  Plain  of  Macha. 

Aliter.  The  wife  of  Crunn,  son  of  Adhnoman,  son  of  Cuirir,  of  Uladh,  came  here  to 
run  with  the  horses  of  Conor,  because  her  husband  boasted  that  she  was  swifter  than  (hey. 
The  woman  at  that  time  was  near  her  confinement  ;  and  she  asked  for  time  till  her  bodily 
condition  should  change  ;  but  it  was  not  granted  to  her,  and  she  had  to  run  the  race  before 
it.  And  siie  proved  swifter  ;  and  when  she  reached  the  goal,  she  brought  forth  a  son  antl  a 
daughter;  Fir  and  Fiall  were  their  names.  And  she  foretold  that  the  Ultonians  should  suffer 
in  childbed  whenever  danger  should  come  upon  their  country.  .And  it  is  in  consequence  of 
this  that  debility  was  upon  the  Ultonians  during  the  reigns  of  nine  kings,  from  the  reign  of 
Conor  to  that  of  the  son  of  Rocraide.  And  it  is  said  that  she  was  Crian-ban-chuiri,  daughter 
of  Midir  of  Bri  Leith.  And  she  died  after  this,  and  her  tomb  was  raised  in  Ard  Maclia. 
Unde  Ardmacha  dicitur. 


The  plain  which  our  steeds  course  over, 
According  to  witnesses  of  truthful  word  : 
In  it  was  buried  —a  firm  dwelling — 
The  beautiful  Macha,  wife  of  Neniidh. 

Nemidh  graced  with  high  renown, 
Twice  six  plains  did  he  cut  down  ; 
Of  these  this  ]ilain,  I'm  glad,  was  one 
O'er  which  I  shall  ride  in  full  career. 

Macha  [again]  of  equal  renown, 

The  noble  daughter  of  Aedh  Ruadh, 
Here  was  buried,  the  queen  of  battle. 
When  she  was  killed  by  Rechtgi  Ritlerg. 

The  exile  for  safety  avoided  not 
The  hapless  sons  of  Dithorba, 
It  was  not  a  gracious  act  that  came  of  it, 
The  building  of  Emania  on  the  side  of 
the  plain. 

To  lament  her — 'tis  a  gain  to  you — 
By  the  hosts  of  all  succeeding  time. 
There  was  held  without  battle  yonder 
The  fair  of  Macha  in  the  great  plain. 

It  is  proper  that  I  should  tell  here, — 
For  indeed  it  is  a  fact  that  I  have  sought — 
The  story  of  the  hapless  occasion, 
Which  caused    the    Ultonians  periodical 
disease. 

One  day  there  came  with  glowing  soul, 
To  the  proper  fair  of  Conchobar, 
The  gifted  man  from  the  Eastern  wave, 
Crunn  of  the  flocks,  son  of  Adnoman. 

It  was  then  were  brought  with  proper  sense 
Two  steeds  to  which  I  see  no  equals. 
Into  the  racecourse,  without  concealment. 
At  which  the  king  of  Uladh  then  presided. 

Although  there  were  not  the  peers  of  these. 
Upon  the  plain,  of  a  yoke  of  steeds, 
Crunn,  the  rash  hairy  man  said 
That   his   wife  was  fleeter,   though  then 


Detain  ye  the  truthful  man, 

Said  Conor  the  chief  of  battles, 
Until  his  famous  wife  comes  here, 
To  nobly  run  with  my  great  steeds. 

Let  one  man  go  forth  to  bring  her, 

Said  the  king  of  prostrate  stout  sju-ars. 
Till  she  comes  from  the  wavy  sea. 
To  save  the  wise-s]ioken  Crunn. 

The  woman  reached  without  delay. 

The  fair  of  the  greatly  wounding  chiefs. 
Her  two  names  in  the  west  without  ques- 
tion, 
Were  Bright  Sun  and  Pure  Macha. 

Her  father  was  not  weak  in  his  house, 
Midir  of  Bri  Leith,  son  of  Celtchar; 
In  his  mansion  in   the  west  when  men- 
tioned, 
She  was  the  sun  of  women  assendilies. 

When  she  had  come — in  sobbing  words, 
She  begged  immediately  for  respite. 
From  the  host  of  assembled  clans. 
Until  the  time  of  her  delivery  was  jiast. 

The  Ultonians  gave  their  plighted  word 
Should  she  not  run — no  idle  boast — 
That   he   shmdd    not   have  a  prosperous 

reign, 
From  the  hosts  of  swords  and  spears. 

Then  stript  the  fleet  and  silent  dame. 

And  cast  loose  her  hair  around  her  head. 

And  started  without  terror  or  fail 

To  join  in  the  race,  but  not  its  pleasure. 

The  steeds  were  brought  to  her  eastern  side, 
To  urge  them  past  her  in  manner  like; 
To  the  Ultonians  of  accustomed  victory, 
The  gallant  riders  were  men  of  kin. 

Although  the  monarch's  steeds  were  swifter 
At  all  times  in  the  native  race. 
The   woman   was  fleeter   with    no  great 
effort, 


226 


THE    ANCIENT    CHURCHES    OF    ARMAGH. 


The    monarch's    steeds    were    there    the 
slowest. 

As  she  reached  the  final  goal, 

And  nobly  won  the  ample  pledge, 
She  brought  forth  twins  without  delay, 
Before  the  hosts  of  the  Red  Branch  fort. 

A  son  and  a  daughter  together, 

Well  nursed  the  silent  woman  pleasantly ; 
Twins  whom  Grian  bore  with  distress. 
Fir  and  Fial  were  their  names. 

She  left  a  long-abiding  curse 

Upon  the  chiefs  of  the  Red  Branch 
To  suffer  periodical  afflictions 
Of  debility  and  parturient  pains. 

The  curse  which  there  she  bestowed 
Upon  the  valiant  heartless  host. 
Followed  them — 'twas  no  idle  act. 
Till  the  ninth  descending  chief. 

From  the  reign  of  victorious  Conchobar, 
Over  the  fertile  cantred  of  Emain, 
It  checked  them  through  their  stranger 
foes, 


Till  the  reign  of  Mai  Mac  Rocraide. 
Thereupon  the  woman  died, 

Of  the   torturing  illness  which   was  put 

upon  her, 
And  she  was  buried  reluctantly  there. 
In  Ardmacha  the  unlucky. 
From  the  death,  from  the  famous  life, 
Among  the  ranks  of  Adam's  race 
Of  the  woman  in  pallid  death  on  the  field. 
Her  name  has  adhered  to  this  plain. 
To  Ard  Macha  all  men  assemble 

Since  Patrick  brought  primatial  faith 
To    the    place   which   without   battle  he 

selected 
From  sacred  Rome  over  great  seas. 
Thou  King  who  hast  left  Emain  in  cold, 
By  separating  from  it  its  brave  host, 
My  soul  should  not  be  wretched  in  thy 

house 
After   my   poem   on   the   hosts   of   noble 
plain. 

This  plain. 


Among  these  three  heroines,  all  of  whom  are  sufificiently  ancient,  the 
reader  is  allowed  to  make  his  choice.  The  neighbourhood  of  Emania,  which 
in  old  times  was  always  coupled  with  the  memory  of  Macha  Mongruadh,  may 
naturally  suggest  her's  as  the  most  likely  influence  in  the  creation  of  the 
name.  However,  in  such  cases,  the  older  and  more  fabulous  the  individual, 
the  more  likely  is  his  or  her  name  to  be  employed  in  topographical  nomen- 
clature. The  selection  of  the  first  Macha  is  borne  out  by  the  ancient  notion 
that  Ma^h-Macha  in  Oirghialla,  was  one  of  the  plains  cleared  by  her  supposed 
husband  Neimhidh.  This  plain  of  Magh-Macha  (Four  Masters,  a.m.  2859)  is 
more  generally  called  Machaire  Arda-Afacha,  which  latter  name  occurs  in  the 
Annals  of  the  Four  Masters,  at  1103,  1196,  1424.  Again,  at  3579,  Conmael, 
King  of  Ireland,  is  said  to  have  fallen  at  the  battle  of  Aenach-Macha,  which 
imi)lies  that  the  name  was  in  existence  long  before  Macha  Mongruadh. 
Keating  places  the  grave  of  Conmael  at  Fcrt  Coumhaoi/,  at  the  south  side  of 
Emania.  (Hist.,  vol.  p.  i.  320,  ed.  Haliday ;  p.  221,  ed.  O'Mahony.)  As 
regards  Eamhain-Macha,  the  annalists,  and  the  etymon  of  the  name  given 
by  Cormac,  ascribe  its  construction  and  appellation  to  Macha  Mongruadh. 
See  Four  Masters,  a.m.  4532,  and  Dr.  O'Donovan's  note,  p.  73.  It  is  to  be 
observed,  however,  that  GAiiu\ni  signifies  }:;emitii  'twins'  also,  and  in  the 
compound  there  may  be  reference  to  the  story  of  the  race. 

But  the  name  of  Macha  is  not  confined  to  the  city  of  Armagh,  as  appears 
from  the  following  list : — 

I.  Armaoh-l>reaguc,  that  is  the  '  pseudo-Armagh,'  a  large  townland  of  2895 
acres,   formerly  in  that  part  of  Eisnadill  which   is  in   Upper  Fews,  but  now 


NOTES    AND    QUERIES.  227 

forming    part    of,   and    giving   name    to,   a    district    cure    in    the   diocese   of 
Armagh. 

2.  Ardi/?iai^/i,  a  subdenomi nation  of  Ballynashee,  in  the  parish  of  Rashee, 
county  of  Antrim.  In  the  Incjuisition,  No.  7,  Jac.  i.  (Ulst.  Inquis.  Antrim), 
it  is  called  Ard}naghbreii::;ye. 

3.  Ardmaghbnagiie,  a  townland  of  1088  acres,  forming  that  part  of  the 
parish  of  Nobber  which  is  situate  in  the  barony  of  Lower  Kells,  county  of 
Meath.     Ord.  Survey,  sheet  5. 

4.  Ardmag/i,  a  territorj'  of  Clankelly,  in  the  county  of  Fermanagh.  See 
Patent  Rolls,  Jac.  i.,  p.  252 /a      Ulst.  Inquis.  Fermanagh,  32,  Car.  I. 

5.  Ardmagh,  in  the  parish  of  Ematris,  county  Monaghan.  Ulst.  Inquis. 
Monaghan,  No.  6,  Jac.  i. 

6.  Armaghug/idi/fft\  in  the  county  of  Monaghan.  Ulst.  Inquis.  Monaghan, 
No.  6,  Jac.  i. 

Besides  these,  the  word  Macha  enters  into  the  combination  Ui  Breasail 
lifcicha,  the  ancient  name  of  a  territory  towards  the  eastern  border  of  the 
county  of  Armagh.  Also,  Ui  Meith  Macha  is  the  old  name  of  the  present 
barony  of  Monaghan,  in  the  county  so  called.  Carcar  Leith  Macha  was  a 
sepulchral  monument  near  the  Boyne  (Petrie,  Round  Towers,  p.  10 1). 

(  To  be  continued. ) 


IRotes  anb  (Sluevies* 

I'hii  coiumit  IS  open  to  ) eadeis  desirous  of  obtaDiino  or  i/n parting;  ni/or  ination  on  questions  of 
interest  and  obscure  points  of  historical  lore  relatiiii;  to  the  district. 

iSlucrics. 

Archibald  Hamilton. — I  shall  be  greatly  obliged  to  any  correspondent  who  will 
assist  me  in  identifying  the  Archibald  Hamilton  who  married  Margaret,  daughter  and 
eventually  heiress  of  Colonel  James  Maxwell  of  Drumbeg,  County  Down.  The  inscription 
on  their  tomb  in  Drumbeg  states  that  he  died  "  February,  1725,  aged  80"  (  ?  75)  years,  and 
his  wife  died  in  January,  1736.  They  had  inter  alias  James  Hamilton,  who  assumed  the 
name  of  Maxwell  (according  to  injunction  contained  in  the  will  of  his  uncle,  Arthur  Maxwell 
of  Drumbeg,  who  died  "2nd  day  of  January,  1720,  aged  74  years,"  old  tomb),  and  married 

Letitia  (  ?)     He  died  in  1 75 1,  leaving  at  least  one  son,  Arthur-Hamilton  Maxwell,  who 

inherited  all  his  property,  and  died  in    1757;  and   I   wish  to  ascertain  the  names  of  all  his 
younger  children. 

\Vm.  Jackson  Pigott,  Manor  House,  Dundrum,  Co.  Down. 


Bnswcrs  to  (Sluerics. 

Re  the  PhysieO-HiStorieal  Society.— According  to  the  printed  Catalo,i;i<e  of  AfSS. 
in  the  Public  Library  of  Arniai;h,  there  were  preserved  tliere,  in  1S92,  among  other  MSS.  of 
Walter  Harris,  Papers  of  the  PJiysico-Histoiical  Society,  circ.  1740. 

Tp:nison  Groves,  b.e.,  i,  Eaton  Square,  Monkstown,  Co.  Dublin. 


SPA-WELL    AT    THE    BLACKSTAFF. 

Size,  about  3  feet  by  2  feet. 

By  T.  Smyth. 


T=,rrrT.i  r_J 


Thomas  Gaffikin,  in  his  Roninisccmes  of 
Old  Belfast,  mentions  a  spa  stream  which 
flowed  into  the  Blackstaff  at  the  new  cut  ; 
but  he  does  not  mention  a  spa-well  or  fountain 
built  into  the  bank  of  the  river,  which  at  this 
place  was  pretty  high.  The  rough  sketch  here 
shown  is  my  recollection  of  it.  Though  called 
a  well,  there  was  no  appearance  of  one :  it  had 
probably  got  filled  up  in  the  course  of  time, 
and  the  water  found  its  way  to  the  river  by 
another  course.  The  erection  was  directly 
opposite  to  the  house  of  the  manager  of  the 
gas-works,  and  was  the  spot  where  all  the 
boys  of  the  neighbourhood  practised  swimming. 

To  be  able  to  cross  the  glut  (corruption,   I  suppose,  of  cut)  was  considered  quite    a   feat. 

I  think  the  fountain  was  proljably  erected  by  Lord  Donegall  after  the  new  course  for  the 

Blackstaff  was  finished,  in  order  to  utilize  the  spa  spring. 


Spa-Well  at  the  Blackstaff. 

Drawn  by  T.  Smyth. 


TEAMPULL   LASTRAC,   DUNSEVERIC,   CO.   ANTRIM. 
By  R.  R.  G.  Crookshank. 
The  following  two  inscriptions  on  gravestones  have  been  omitted  from  those  given  in 
vol.  v.,  p.  60.      It  would  be  interesting  to  know  more  of  the  Flora  MacDonald  mentioned. 

Flora      MacDonald's 
burying  Place 

Here        lyeth        the 

body  of  her  husband  cted  by  Michal  John 

Duncan        Galbraith  ston    in    Memory   of 

from    Isla     who     de  2  of  his  childer— viz 

parted         this        life  James     &     Margaret 

the      li">     of     Sep'-  who       died       Young 

J795'    aged    55  years  '793 


(Freemason  sign  at  top.) 

This   Stone  was   Ere 


""'''^=^xgtej^^=^ ' 


IRcvicws  of  Boohti. 


Publications  having  an\  bcarin;^  upon  local  mat/ets,  ot  upon  Irish  or  general  Antiquarian 

subjects,  will  be  reiuewed  in  this  column. 

Books  or  Articles  for  Review  to  be  sent  to  the  Editor. 


The  Belfast  Evening  l^elegtaph  of  12  August,  1899,  contained  a  popular  (illustrated) 
account  of  Patrick  MacDovvell,  k.a.,  the  celebrateil  sculptor,  horn  in  Belfast,  and  the  issue 
of  26  contains  one  on  the  Earl  of  lielfast.  Excellent  articles  in  the  same  pa]ier  on  "Old 
Belfast:  its  early  Theatres,"  appeared  in  the  issues  of  26  June,  7  July,  and  11  August,  and 
on  "  Haddock's  Ghost"  on  12  May,  from  the  ]ien  of  Isaac  W.  Ward,  who  knows  more  of 
Old  Belfast  than  any  living  person. 


The  Kilkenny  Moderator,  untk'r  the  editorship  of  Standish  O'Grady,  purposes  in  October, 
1899,  publishing  the  prose  epic  of  Cuchullin  from  the  Heroic  period  of  Irish  history.     This 


is  a  distinct  advance  in  journalism  in  this  country. 


*        :|< 


The  Derry  Sta, 
of  "  Banagher  Olei 
knowledge  of  a  mos 


ard  i){  2  June,  1899,  contained  a  well-written  topographical  description 
from  the  ]ien  of  James   H.    Eakin,  which    shows  a  comprehensive 
interesting  district. 


Grey  abbey,  County  Down.  ^        ;f;        ;|<        ^ 

This  little  pamphlet,  from  the  able  pen  of  J.  J.  Phillips,  was  written  for  the  R..S.A.,  on 
the  occasion  of  their  visit  to  Belfast  on  the  16  August,  1899.  It  contains  all  the  known  facts 
relating  to  this  line  Cistercian  ruin,  and  is  freely  illustrated.  We  trust  the  writer  will  reprint 
his  valuable  monograph  (with  the  additional  notes  he  has  made)  of  this  abbey,  now  long  out 
of  print. 


Saint  Afalachy.      By  the  Rev.  James  O'Laverty,  M.R.  i.A.     Belfast  :   Irish  News,  Ltd.     1899. 

Price  l/- 
This  handy  little  volume  of  the  life  of  a  twelfth-century  Bishop  of  Connor  is  practically  a 
reprint  from  the  writer's  Diocesan  history,  with  some  additional  notes,  ])articularly  the  identi- 
fication of  the  Saints'  Church  at  Ballyculter,  County  Down,  known  as  Kilnialach.  The  writer 
traces  all  the  principal  events  in  Malachy's  life  and  the  disordered  state  of  the  Irish  Church 
in  the  twelfth  century;  also  the  .Saint's  visit  to  Rome,  when  he  was  appointed  Apostolic 
Legate,  which  position  he  used  in  exercising  discipline  at  liome  and  in  establishing  the  customs 
of  the  Roman  Church. 

*        *        =!-■         :f= 

Descriptive  Cataloi^ue  of  a  Collection  of  Manuscripts  of  IJishop  Reeves  in  the  Diocesan 
Library,  Belfast.  By  John  Ribton  Garstin,  B.i).,  f.s.a.  (Not  published.)  Belfast: 
R.  Carswell  &  Son.      1S99. 

We  cannot  allow  the  issue  of  this  work  to  pass  without  commendation.  To  say  that  loving 
care  has  been  bestowed  upon  it  is  superfluous,  as  every  page  bears  this  out  in  a  work  that 
was  both  troublesome  and  difficult.     As  one  peruses  the  different  items,   the  thought  of  the 


2  30 


REVIEWS    OF    ROOKS. 


vastness  of  the  literary  labours  of  the  late  Bishop  is  borne  in  upon  the  mind,  and  the  irrepar- 
able loss  to  Irish  archaeology  which  his  death  occasioned.  The  securing  of  these  documents, 
mostly  relating  to  Diocesan  subjects,  to  Belfast,  was  a  great  and  valuable  acquisition.  The 
present  work  is  a  worthy  appendix,  from  the  same  hand,  to  the  Bibliography  in  Lady 
Ferguson's  Lije  of  Bishop  Reeves.  We  will  not  say  more  of  this  work  at  present,  but  it 
is  our  intention  to  take  further  advantage  of  it,  and  publish  in  these  pages  some  of  the  matter 
there  catalogued.  In  conclusion,  we  must  mention  the  deep  interest  taken  in  this  work  by 
the  late  Lavens  M.  Ewart,  who  undertook  the  cost  of  its  printing. 

*  *        *        * 

Songs  of  Efiim.     By  P.  J.  M'Call.      London  :   .Simpkin,  Marshall  &  Co.      1899.      Price  l/- 

and  2/- 

This  is  not  the  first  time  we  liave  had  pleasure  in  noticing  the  poetry  of  this  well-known 
writer,  and  we  trust  it  will  not  be  the  last.  The  present  collection  of  songs  is  by  far  the 
best  we  have  yet  perused  from  his  racy  pen — the  historical  ballads  particularly  so.  One  in 
particular  appeals  to  us — Redmond  O'llanlan,  the  wild  Ulster  raparee,  who  so  long  held 
whole  armies  at  bay. 

"  The  great  Duke  of  Ormonde  is  frantic — 
His  soldiers  got  up  with  the  lark 
To  catch  this  bold  Redmond  by  daylight  ; 
But  Redmond  caught  them  in  the  dark. 
Says  he,  when  he  stripped  them  and  bound  them — 

'  Take  back  my  best  thanks  to  His  Grace 
For  all  the  fine  pistols  and  powder 
He  sent  to  this  desolate  place  ! '" 

^        *[<        ^        ^ 

The  New  Inland  Review  for  May,  1899,  vol.  xi.,  No.  3,  contains  an  exhaustive  paper  on 
"The  Early  Irish  Post  Office  "  from  the  pen  of  John  Salmon,  giving  facts  and  details  that  none 
but  he  could  have  compiled. 

*  H<        -X-        * 

Orangeism:   as   it   was   and   is.      By    Richard    Niven.      Belfast:    \V.   &   G.    Baird.      1899. 

Price  6d.  and    i/~ 
This  brochure  deals  with  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  Orange  Order  in  Ulster,   the  major 
portion  being  a  reprint  of  a  Blue  P>ook  on  the  battle  of  Dolly's  Brae,  in  County  Down,  in 
1849,  with  photographic  reproductions  of  the  site  of  that  encounter. 


Highways  and  Byivays  in  Donegal  and  Anlriin.     With   illustrations  by  Hugh  Thomson. 

By  Stephen  elwynn.  London:  Macmillan  &  Co.,  Ltd.  1S99.  Price  6/- 
This  is  certainly  the  book  of  the  season  so  far  as  Ulster  is  concerned.  It  is  also  a  book 
written  with  an  object,  which  makes  it  the  best  illustrated  work  that  has  ever  appeared  on  the 
scenery  of  the  Northern  counties.  The  pencil  of  Hugh  Thomson,  himself  an  Ulsterman, 
has  succeeded  in  doing  for  us  what  has  never  been  hitherto  attempted,  in  placing  our  unsur- 
passed coast  views  in  an  etjually  presentable  form  with  those  other  beauty  spots  of  England 
and  Wales  which  he  has  so  cleverly  depicted.  Headlands  and  lakes,  priests,  policemen,  and 
peasants,  the  humble  cottage  and  the  crumbling  castle,  the  jaunting-car  and  the  village 
church,  each  and  all  have  been  transferred  by  a  few  strokes  of  his  master  pencil  to  the  pages 
of  this  book.  Where  all  are  excellent,  it  is  hard  to  individualize;  but,  if  we  dare  do  so,  we 
would  specially  mention  the  views  about  Ballycastle.  The  surroundings  here  must  have  been 
congenial  to  the  artist,  as  it  has  been  to  many  others,  for  he  seems  to  have  lingered  long 
within  sight  of  the  soaring  brow  of  Benmore  and  lovely  Murlough,  and  the  spirit  of 
those  enchanting  spots  has  entered  into  his  soul  and  been  retlecled  in  his  work.     To  the 


REVIEWS    OF    BOOKS. 


231 


letterpress  a  secondary  place  must  of  necessity  be  given,  but  by  no  means  an  unworthy  one, 
although  the  difficulty  of  writing  up  to  such  sketches  as  Hugh  Thomson's  is  no  light  task. 
Much  legendary  lore  is  given  with  historical  sketches,  whilst  the  scenery  is  fittingly  described, 
but  not  always  with  sufficient  accuracy  to  satisfy  a  habitue  or  one  who  has  haunted  this  coast 
for  many  years,  reminding  one  rather  of  a  hasty  cyclist  who  has  "done"  the  coast,  and  then 
relied  on  friends  and  books  for  the  rest.  We  are  delighted  to  have  such  a  book,  and  can  now 
hold  our  heads  higher  before  our  English  friends  when  they  say,  "Have  you  seen  Hugh 
Thomson's  Cornwall  and  DfVonV  and  Irish  wise  reply,    "  Have  you  seen  his  Donrgal  and 

Antrim  ?" 

*  >!<        *        * 

A   Literary  History  of  Ireland.      By  Douglas  Hyde,   ll.D.,  m.r.i.A.      London:  T.  Fisher 

Unvvin.  1S99. 
This  is  a  vast  work,  entailing  unprecedented  labour  on  the  writer  ;  labour,  however,  well  spent, 
raising  a  monument  to  the  learning  and  skill  of  our  foremost  Gaelic  scholar.  It  is  not  a  book 
to  be  hastily  perused  ;  it  is  a  work  of  reference  which  will  be  treasured  and  referred  to  for  all 
time.  We  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  it,  nor  of  the  laudable  ambition  of  its  author  in  thus  pre- 
senting to  the  English-speaking  world,*in  a  permanent  form,  the  distinctive  features  of  our 
Irish  literature.  Too  long  neglected  has  it  been,  and  too  often  despised.  For  an  enlightened 
public  to  ignore  it  will  now  be  gross  ignorance,  to  despise  it  will  be  folly,  thanks  to  Douglas 
Hyde,  who  has  largely  brought  about  this  consummation.  In  our  too  limited  space  we 
cannot  in  any  sense  analyse,  however  roughly,  the  work  before  us  ;  nor  will  we  attempt  such 
a  task.  All  lovers  of  Ireland  will  possess  the  book,  and  "read,  mark,  learn,  and  inwardly 
digest  "  it  for  themselves. 

*  >!<       *       * 

'J he  Heart  oj  Belfast:    as   it  was  an  I  is.      By  John  Vinycomb,   M.R.I.A.      Marcus  Ward. 

1899. 
This    booklet    (]iul)Iislied    for   a    Belfast    restaurant)    gives  a  full    account    of   the  Castle    of 
Belfast,  and   is  freely  illustrated,  adding  another  to  the  long  list  of  good  things  written  by 
John  A'inycomb. 


Bazaar  Books:  Kilkecl,  Lame,  7\ 
Since  the  publication  by  the  late  Lavens  M.  Evvart,  in  1SS6,  of  the  valuable  Baznar 
Book,  LLattdlwok  of  the  United  Diocese  of  Down  and  Connor  and  Droniore,  many  churches, 
congregations,  and  others  have  adopted  a  similar  course,  and  published  historical  sketches 
on  such  occasions — an  excellent  course  to  pursue.  We  have  three  of  such  to  notice. 
Kilkeel  Parish  Church  is  briefly  sketched  by  the  Rector,  the   Reverend   H.  M'Knighl,  with 


232 


REVIEWS    OF    BOOKS. 


local  views.  The  different  ancient  edifices  in  the  district  are  all  mentioned.  Larne  Bazaar 
Book,  by  Francis  Joseph  Bigger,  includes  a  number  of  sketches  relating  to  the  district  ;  a 
special  feature  being  the  illustration  of  a  number  of  the  armorial  tombstones  in  the  neigh- 
bouring churchyards.  The  sketches  deal  with  the  Parish  Church,  the  Presbyterian  Con- 
gregations, Olderfleet  Castle,  brumalis,  Carncastle,  Island  Magee,  Witchcraft  in  Island 
Magee,  Larne  Volunteers,  James  Orr,  Dalway's  Bawn,  James  M'Henry,  M.D.;  the  Rev. 
Edward  Brice,  Kilroot,  Glynn  and  Gleno,  Altfracken,  and  Armorial  Stones.  Templepatrick 
Presbyterian  Congregation  has  been  dealt  with  by  the  Rev.  Alexander  Gordon,  a.m., 
and  takes  the  form  of  a  collection  of  brief  biographical  sketches  of  the  different  ministers  of 
the  congregation — one  of  the  oldest  in  Ulster;  and,  like  all  the  other  work  from  the  pen  of  the 
same  writer,  is  compiled  with  great  care,  giving  exhaustive  data.  The  lives  of  such  men 
as  Josias  Welch,  Anthony  Kennedy,  James  Kirkpatrick,  and  William  Livingstone  are 
recorded  more  fully  than  had  been  done  hitherto,  with  many  bits  of  local  colour  added,  the 
whole  forming  a  valuable  addition  to  Ulster  biography.  An  admirable  feature  of  the  book 
is  the  absence  of  those  vindictive  partisan  statements  which  so  often  soil  the  pages  of  produc- 
tions issued  for  similar  purposes. 


Heare  this  lyeth  the  body  of 

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rFrom  Larue  Rnzaar  Hook.) 


ULSTER  JOURNAL 

OF 

Archeology 


Xist  of  Subscribers, 


Adams,  Dr.  J.  J.,  Ashville,  Antrim 
Adams,  Rev.  W.  A.,  The  Manse,  Antrim 
Aitchison,     Christopher,     Ehnswood,     Loanhead, 

Midlothian 
Allen,  Joseph,  Lisburn 

Allen,  William  John,  28,  Pine  Street,  Belfast 
Allen,  W.  J.,  Linwinny,  Lurgan 
Allingham,    Hugh,    m.r.i.a..    The    Mall,    Bally- 
shannon 
Allworthy,  Ed.,  Cavehill  Road,  Belfast 
Anderson,  J.,  J. P.,  Linenhall  Library,  Belfast 
Andrew,  J.  J.,  23,  University  Square,  Belfast 
Archer,  R. ,  jun.,  20,  ^L'ln()r  Street,  Dublin 
Armstrong,  (jeorge,  89  &  91,  Castlereagh  Street, 

Belfast 
Armstrong,  G.  F. ,  Solicitor,  Victoria  Street,  Belfast 
Atkinson,  J.,  Buckley,  I'ortadovvn 
Atkinson,  Rev.  E.  D.,  B.D.,  W  aringstovvn,  Lurgan 


Babbington,  Rev.  R.  D. ,  Omagh,  Co.  Tyrone 
Baird,  k.  H.  H.,  J. p.,  Royal  Avenue,  Belfast 
Baird,  W.,  Avonmore,  Fortwilliam  Park,  Belfast 
Ballentine,  John  (i.,  Fli.xton  Place,  Ballymena 
Barklie,  Adam,  Clonlee,  Larne 
Baxter,   Isaac,   22nd  and    River  Streets,   Detroit, 

Michigan,  U.."-!.  A. 
Baxter,  James,  B.  cS:  N.  C.  Railway,  York   Road, 

Belfast 
Baxter,    William    Jardine,    c/o    J.    M.    Dickson, 

3,  Linenhall  Street,  Belfast 
Beattie,  Rev.  A.  H.,  Portglenone 
Begley,  G.  R. ,  Merchiston,  Bloomfield,  Belfast 
Bel-Burrows,    W. ,   2,    Albany    Terrace,    Ballyna- 

feigh 
Belfast  Museum,  College  Square  North,  Belfiist 
Bellas,  lames,  Esq.,  Coleraine 
Bell,  E."  G.,  Belle  View,  Lurgan 
Bellis,  Geo.,  J. p.,  Ballymena 
Belmore,   The    Right    Hon.   the   Earl    of,    Castle- 

coole,  Enniskillen 
Belshaw,    Robert    Redman,    2,    Sydney    Terrace, 

Upper  Leeson  Street,  Dublin 
Berry,   Capt.  R.  G.,  Army  Service  Corps,  Shorn- 

cliffe,  Kent 
Beverland,  Robert,  North  Street,  Belfast 
Bibby,  Rev.  J.  H.,  Bailee,  Downpatrick 
Bigger,  Colonel,  Ardrie,  Belfast 


Bigger,  F.  C,  Ardrie,  Belfast 

Bigger,  ¥.  J.,  Ardrie,  Belfast 

Bigger,   Wm.   F. ,  J. P.,   D. i..,  ]\iverview,  Derry 

Bingham,  Ed.,  30,  Ponsonby  Avenue,  Belfast 

Birney,  Ed.,  j.p.,  North  Street,  Belfast 

Black,  Colonel,  Harrow-on-the-Hill 

Blair,  J.  .S.,  Washington,  D.C.,  U.S.A. 

Blair,  Mrs.,  Fernlea,  Cilenburn  Park,  Belfast 

Blaney,  John  Henry,  Hibernia  Savings  Bank,  San 

Francisco,  Cal. 
Blaney,  Rev.  P.  O.  H.,  Buncrana,  Co.  Donegal 
Blow,  lames,  10,  Donegall  Square  West,  Belfast 
Booth," C.  J.,  The  Mall,  Sligo 
Boyce,  J.,   Montgomery  National  School,   Done- 
gall   Pass,  Belfast 
Boyd,  James,  4,  Kinnaird  Street,  Belfast 
Boyd,  James,  Main  Street,  Larne 
Boyd,  J.,  Ballymoney 

Boyd,  Miss  E.  .S.,  Cultree  House,  Holywood 
Boyd,  Robert  A.,  C.E.,  2,  Garfield  Street,  Belfast 
Boyd,  Robert,  Garfield  Street,  Belfast 
Boyd,     W.     C,     Ravenscroft     National    School, 

Conns  water,   Belfast 
Boyle,  James,  Ballinacrea,  Portrush 
Boyle,  Rev.  Patrick,  Dean,  St.  Malachy's  College, 

Belfast 
Brandon,   H.   B. ,    Rosemount  House,  Richmond, 

Antrim  Road,  Belfast 
Bretland,  J.  C,  Braincote,   Craigavad,  Holywood 
Brett,  Chas.  H.,  9,  Chichester  Street,  Belfast 
Bristow,  J.  R.,  Lismore,  Windsor  Avenue,  Belfast 
Browne,  Rev.  R.  L. ,  Liberty  Street,  Cork 
Browne,  W.  J.,  5,  Crawford's  Square,  Derry 
Brown,  R.,  B.A.,  Comber  Street  National  School, 

Belfast 
Brown,  R.  K.,  Whittinsville,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 
Brunskill,  Rev.  K.  C,  Carrickmore,  Co.  Tyrone 
Bryans,  Thomas,  16,  Stranmillis  Park,  Belfast 
Buckley,  Jas. ,  154,  Portsdown  Road,  London,  W. 
Buick,  Rev,  Geo.,  Cullybackey,  Co.  Antrim 
Burtchaell,    Geo.    D.,    7,    St.    Stephen's    Green, 

Dublin 
Butler,  J.  F.,  43,  Lower  Mount  Street,  Dublin 


Caldwell,  C.  E.,  Solicitor,  Londonderry 
Caldwell,  Dr.,  i.  College  Square  North,  Belfast 
Caldwell,  W.  H.,  j.p., 'Waterside,  Coleraine 


2  34 


LIST    OF    SUBSCRIBERS. 


Calwell,  J.  Y.,  Woodlawn,  Strandtown,  Belfast 
Campbell,  A.  A.,  6,  Laurence  Street,  Belfast 
Campbell,  Howard,  Rathfern,  Whiteabbey,  Belfast 
Campbell,  J.O.,  B.E.,  c/o  W.  J.  Campbell  &  Son, 

Kavenhill  Road,  Belfast 
Campbell,  Joseph    M.,   Loretto    Cottage,    Castle- 

reagh  Road,  Belfast 
Camac,  Thos.,  Derrykeighan,  Dervock,  Co.  Antrim 
Canning,  J.  J.  C,  Provincial  IJank,  Coleraine 
Carmody,   Rev.    W.    P.,  Connor    Rectory,   Bally- 

mena,  Co.  Antrim 
Carolin,  Mrs.,  Nine  Firs,  Rondebald,  Cape  Town 
Carr,    James,    J. P.,    Rathowen,   Windsor  Avenue, 

Belfast 
Caruth,  Norman  C,  Solicitor,  Ballymena 
Casady,  Phineas  M 'Cray,  615,  West   Fifth  Street, 

Des  Moines,  Iowa 
Cassidy,  William,  c/o  W.  &  G.  Baird,  Belfast 
Cavanagh,   Rev.   M.   A.,  O.S. F.,   Franciscan   Con- 
vent, Drogheda 
Cavan,  James,  Eaton  Mascott  Hall,  Shrewsbury 
Chambers,  Robert,  9,  Bedeque  Street,  Bellast 
Chapman,  A.  M.,  "  Sentinel"  Office,  Derry 
Charley,  F.  W.,  Solicitor,  Lisburn 
Child,  A.  W.,  Farnham,  Rosetta  Park,  Belfast 
Clarendon,  Dr.,  36,  Mountjoy  Square,  Dublin 
Clarke,  Alex.,  Moyola  Loclge,  Castledawson,  Co. 

Derry 
Clarke,  Edward  H.,  Notting  Hill,  Belfast 
Clarke,  H.  W. ,  Dundressan,  Islandmagee 
Clark,  Miss,  The  Villas,  Kilrea,  Co.  Derry 
Clearkin,  Thos.,  Mount  Pleasant,  Lame 
Cleeland,  James,  26,  Arthur  Street,  Belfast 
Clelland,  Thomas  W.,  Cookstown 
Clogher,  The  Rt.  Rev.  the  Bishop  of,  Knockbally- 

more,  Clones 
Close,    Samuel    P.,    Donegall    Square    Buildings. 

Belfast 
Cluskey,     Nicholas,     155,     North     King     Street, 

Dublin 
Coates,  W.  T. ,  30,  University  Square,  Belfast 
Cochrane,  R.,  F  S.A.,  17,  Highfield  Road,  Dublin 
Coffey,  Geo.,  M.R.i.A.,  5,  Harcourt  Terrace,  Dublin 
Coleman,  Jas  ,  11,  Manchester  St.,  Southampton 
Collis,  Rev.  M.  F".,  b.d..  The  Vicarage,  Antrim 
Connar,  James,  St.  Paul's  Male  National  School, 

York  Street,  Belfast 
Conway,    Rev.    D.,    a.m.,    Mountjoy,    Lancaster 

Co.,  Pa.,  U.S.A. 
Cooke,   John,   M.A.,   F.R.s.a.,  66,    Morehampton 

Road,  Dublin 
Core,  W.  Scott,  m.D.,  261,  York  Street,  Belfast 
Corry,  R.,  University  Street,  Belfast 
Corry,  The  Hon.   Cecil,  Castlecoole,   Enniskillen 
Corry,  W.    F.  C.  S.,  117  &   126,   Cromac  Street, 

Belfast 
Costigan,  W.,  Gt.  Victoria  Street,  Belfast 
Cotter,  Jas.,  Killorglin,  Co.  Kerry 
Coulson,  Gerald,  4,  College  Street  South,  Belfast 
Coulter,  G.  B.,  Donegall  l^lace,  Belfast 
Cousins,    James    H.,    Madeley,    14,    Sandy  mount 

Road,  Dublin 
Cowan,  S.  W.  P.,  j.p.,  Craigavad,  Co.  Down 
Cozenore,   C.    D.,   26,    Henrietta    Street,    Covent 

Garden,  London 
Craig,  J.  C,  Glenmount,  Whitehousc,  Belfast 
Crawford,  Patrick,  Larne 
Crickard,  Very  Rev.  R.,  v.w,  Ballynafeigh 


Crone,     Dr.,     Kensal     Lodge,     Harrow     Road, 

London,   N.W. 
Crookshank,  Robert,  Glenmanus  House,  Portrush 
Crossle,  F.  C. ,  M.B. ,  The  Chestnuts,  Newry 
Cuming,  Prof.  James,  M.D.,  33,  Wellington  Place, 

ISelfast 
Cunningham,  Samuel,  Fernhill,  Belfast 
Currngh,  W.  H.,  National  School,  Bloomfield 
Curlin,     Dr.     R.     G.,     22,     South     i8th    Street, 

Philadelphia,   Pennsylvania 

Dane,  J.  W. ,  Abbeyfield,  Naas,  Ireland 

D'Arcy,  W.    H.,  Claims  Agent,  Canadian  Pacific 

Railway,  Winnipeg 
Davies,  J.  H.,  Glenmore,  Lisburn 
Davison,  Dr.,  Romanoff    House,  Ormeau    Road, 

lielfast 
Davison,  T.  J.,  Palmerston,  Sydenham,  Belfast 
Dawson,  Very  Rev.  Abraham  (Dean  of  Dromore), 

Seagoe  Rectory,  Portadown 
Day,  Robert,  j.p.,  m.r.i.a.,  Cork 
Delacherois,    Daniel,     D.L.,    The    Manor  House, 

Donaghadee 
D'Evelyn,  Alex.  M.,  M.D.,  Ballymena 
Dickson,  John  M.,  3,  Linenhall  Street,  Belfast 
Dickson,   Robert,   c  o  J.    M.   Dickson,   3,   Linen- 
hall  Street,  Belfast 
Dixon,  L.  B. ,  Woodlea,  Hillsborough,  Sheffield 
Doherty,  J.,  43,  Falls  Road,  Belfast 
Donnan,   William,    c/o    Messrs.   Taggart    &    Co., 

Gt.  Patrick  Street,  Belfast 
Dougherty,  J-  15. ,  M.A.,  The  Castle,  Dublin 
Dowling,     Daniel     F.,     Castletown,     Mountrath, 

Queen's  Co. 
Dowling,  J.,  Upper  Queen  Street,  Belfast 
Down    and    Connor    and    Dromore,    The    Lord 

Bishop  of,   Culloden,   Craigavad 
Drew,  Thomas,  22,  Clare  Street,  Dublin 
Dryden,  Sir  Henry,  Bart.,  Canons  Ashby,  Byfield, 

Northamptonshire 
Dudley- [anns.  Rev.  S.  J.,  The  Rectory,  Antrim 
Dufferin  and  Ava,   Marquis  of,   Clandeboye,   Co. 

Down 
Duncan,  Travers  K. ,  la,  Bedford  Street,  Belfast 
Dunlop,  James,  M.D.,  F.S.R.N.,  Edenderry  House, 

Ballylesson,  Lisburn 
Dunlop,  R.,  33  &  35,  Edward  Street,  I'elfast 

Elliott,  D..  R.A.,  Madrid  Street  National  School, 

Belfast 
Elliott,    George,   M.i.M.E.,    2,  Clorinda,   Cavehill 

Road 
Ellis,    Alexander,    B.    &    N.    C.    Railway,    York 

Street,  Belfast 
Ellis,  D.,  5,   Evolina  Street,   Duncairn  Gardens, 

Belfast 
Erne,  The  Right  Hon.  the  Earl  of,  12,  St.  George's 

Place,   London 
Erskine,  Alexander,  Cliftonpark  Central  National 

School,  Belfast 
Evans,     Rev.     Samuel,     M.A.,     Paxal      Rectory, 

Whaley   Bridge,  Stockport,  Cheshire 
Ewart,     Mrs.      Lavens,     Glenbank,     Ballysillan, 

Belfast 
Ewart,  N.  H.,  West  39th  Street,  New  York 
Ewart,    Sir    William,'  Bart.,    9,    Bedford    Street, 

Belfast 


LIST    OF    SUBSCRIBERS. 


235 


Fairley,  J.  F.,  Chemical  Broker,   Brown's  Wharf, 

Charleston,  S.C. 
Farren,  WiUiam,  11,  Mountcharles,  Belfast 
Feeling,  Luke,  Four  Courts,  Dublin 
Fenneil,  W.   [.,  11,  Chichester  Street,  Belfast 
Ferguson,  James,  Marsden  Villas,  Cavehill  Road, 

Belfast 
Ferguson,  Lady,  20,  George's  St.  North,  Dublin 
Ferrar,    A.    M.,    c/o   Jaffe    l5ros.,    10,    Donegall 

Square  South,  Belfast 
Ferrar,  M.  L. ,  Bengal  Civil   Service,  (jorakhpur, 

N.  W.  P.,  India 
Ferrar,    W.    A.,    J. P.,    Cloona,     Dunmurry,    Co. 

Antrim 
Ffrench,    Rev.   J.    F.    M.,   liallyredniond    House, 

Clonegal,   Co.   Carlow 
Finnigan.  John,  Lombard  Street,  Belfast 
Fisher,  Thomas,  26,  Arthur  Street,  Belfast 
Fitzgerald,  Lord  Walter,  Kilkea  Castle,  Maganey, 

Co.  Kildare 
Flannigan,  P.,  Dungannon 
Klynn,  W.  G.  W. ,  Hanford,  Gilford 
Foley,    R.,    Brown    Memorial    National    School, 

Belfast 
Forbes,  M.,  42,  University  Avenue,  Belfast 
Free  Public  Library,  Belfast 
Frew,    [ames,    122,    Inverness    Terrace,    Clifton- 

ville,    Belfast 
Fulton,  James,  St.  Anne's  National  School,  Belfast 


Galloway,  P.,   15,  Donegall  Place,  Belfast 

(iamble,  Jas. ,  Armagh 

Gamble,   Mrs.  Joseph,    15,    Broad   Street,   Platts- 

burgh,  New  York,  U.S.A. 
Gardner,  Josejih,  16,  James'  Street  South,  Belfast 
Garstin,    John    Ribton,    D.L.,   j.l'.,    Braganstown, 

Castlebellingham 
Gault,  John  II.,  118,  Crumlin  Road,  Belfast 
Gault,  Maxwell,  Bailee,  Ballymena 
Gerraghty,  W.,  11,  Camden  Street,  Liverpool 
Gibson,  Andrew,  14,  Cliftonville  Avenue,  Belfast 
Gibson,    Geo.,    c/o    Gibson    &    Co.,    Cliftonville, 

Belfast 
Gibson,    William,    Grovefield    National    School, 

Belfast 
Gilbert,  W.  A.,  Lawnmount,  Lurgan 
Gillespie,  J.,  M.D.,  Diamond,  Clones 
Gordon,    Rev.    A.,   M.A.,    Memorial    Hall,    Man- 
chester 
Gorman  &  Sons,  W. ,  Carrickfergus 
Graham,  Colonel  J.,  Cotswold,  Wimbledon,  Surrey 
(Irahani,  J.  Kyle,  The  Bank  Buildings,  Belfast 
Graves,  A.  P.,  Irish  Literary  Society,  8,  Adelphi 

Street,  Strand,  London 
Gray,W  ,M.R.  I.A.,  Glenburn  Park,  Lisburn  Road, 

Belfast 
Greer,  Thomas,  Seapark,  Belfast 
Greeves,  Arthur,  Forth  River  Mills,  F'alls   Road, 

Belfast 
Greeves,   Fergus  MacGregor,    Forth    River  Mills, 

Falls  Road,  Belfast 
Greeves,    Joseph    M.,    Forth    River    Mills,    Falls 

Road",  Belfast 
Greeves,  ].  Theo.,  Forth  River  Mills,  Falls  Road, 

Belfast 
Greeves,  Ridgway,  Forth  River  Mills,  Falls  Road, 

Belfast 


Greeves,   W.    Leopold,   I'orth    River    Mills,   Falls 
Road,  Belfast 

llall,    Thomas,    M.R.I. A.,    Lear,    liailieboro',    Co. 

Cavan 
Ibimill,  \'ery  Rev.  James,  I'.  I'.,  Whiteh<nise 
Hamilton,    Rev.    Dr.,  President  (Jueen's  College, 

Belfast 
Hamilton,     Rev.     R.    J.,     D.n  ,     The     Rectory, 

Tynan,   Co.    Armagh 
Hamilton,  T.  P..,  9.  Bedford  Street,  Belfast 
Ilandcock,  G.  F.,  Puljlic  Record  Office,  Chancery 

Lane,  London,  MC. 
Hanna,   Charles  A.,   G.P.O.    Box    136,   Chicago, 

Illinois 
Hanna,  J.  S.,  Campsie,  Derry 
Hanna,   W.   W.,   50,   North   Front  Street,   Phila- 
delphia 
Harding,    Rev.    Canon,    The   Rectory,    Dromore, 

Co.  Down 
Harvey,  Isaac,  Rosetta  National  School,  Belfast 
Hastings,  Samuel,  Church  Street,  Downpatrick 
Head.  J.  M  ,  Adverness,  Reigate,  Surrey 
Healy,  Rev.  Wm.,  p.  p.,  Johnstown,  Co.  Kilkenny 
Helen,  Joseph,  16,  Bow  Street,  Lisburn 
Henry,  Fd.,  53,  Royal  Avenue,  Belfast 
Hemy,  Dr.,  Swan  Park,  Monaghan 
Henry,  The  Most  Rev.  Dr.,  Bishop  of  Down  and 

Connor,  Chichester  Park,  Belfast 
Heron,  Adens,  Cultra,  Co.  Down 
Hewitt,  S.  M.  F.,  Rathlee,  Ballina,  Co.  Mayo 
Hickey,   Rev.   M.,  St.    Patrick's    College,     May- 

nooth 
Iligginbotham,  G.,  46,  Wellington  Park,  Belfast 
Higgins,  P.,  The  Glen,  Waterford 
Hilland,  Charles,  Castletown,  Dundalk 
Hill,   Hugh,  c/o  Swanston   &    Bones,    Limestone 

Road,  Belfast 
Hill,     Rev.     Geo.,     Moyarget,     Ballycastle,    Co. 

Antrim 
Hill,  William,  53,  Royal  Avenue,  Belfast 
Hodges,     y.    F. ,    Sandringham,     Malone     Road, 

Belfast 
Houston,    T.    G.,     M.A.,    Academical     Institute, 

Coleraine 
Howden,  Charles,  Invermore,  Larne 
Hughes,  Herbert,  Thornleigh,  Belfast 
Humphreys,  IL,  Ballintemple,  Co.  Cork 
Hunter,  J.  C,  14,  St.  Jude's  Avenue,  Belfast 
Hunter,  Robert,  Antrim  Arms,  Ballycastle 
Hunter,    R.,    Tennent    Street    National    School, 

Belfast 
Hunter,  S.  C,  36,  Brookvale  Avenue,  Belfast 
Hunter,  Thomas,  Glenarm 
Hunter,  W.  H.,  Dallas,  Texas,  U.S.A. 
Hunter,  William  G.,  Doagh,  Co.  Antrim 
Ilussey,  Michael,  National  School,  Lisburn 
Hutchinson,    James    C,    135,    Limestone    Road, 

Belfast 
Hutton,  Arthur,  20,  Chichester  Street,  Belfast 
Hyndman,     Hugh,     i.L.  D.,     Wellington     Place, 

Belfast 

Irvine,      D.      H.,     Woodville     Road,      Bowdon, 

Cheshire 
Irvine,  Mrs.,  12,  Sandy  Street,  Newry 
Irwin,  Chas.  E.,  Lisgoole  Abbey,  Enniskillen 
Irwin,  R.,  3,  Corn  Market,  Belfast 


236 


LIST    OF    SUBSCRIBERS. 


Jackman,  M.  J.,  Bank  of  Ireland,  Belfast 
Jackson,  Rev.  J.,  Ballycastle 
Jellie,  Rev.  W.,  44,  Burlington  Road,  Ipswicli 
Johnston,  Miss  A.,  L-jsenaveane,  Donegall   Park, 

Belfast 
Jones    &     Evans,   47,    Queen    Street,   Cheapside, 

London,   E.G. 
Jones,  B.  J.,  Lisnawilly,  Dundalk 
(ones,  H.  H.,  3,  Wilmont  Terrace,  Belfast 

Kelly,  VV.  E.,  St.  Helen's,  Westport,  Co.  Mayo 

Kennedy,  John,  Ardbana,  Coleraine 

Keohane,  P.,  3012,  Smallmann  Street,  Pittsburgh, 

Pa.,  U.S.A. 
Kerr,  Thos.   S.,   83,    Forthbrook  Terrace,  Wood- 
vale  Road,  Belfast 
Killen,  W.,  16,  Rugby  Road,  Belfast 
Kilmartin,  W.,  Rosemary  Street,  Belfast 
King,     Sir     Chas. ,     Bart.,     Corrard,     Lisbellaw, 

Fermanagh 
Kirker,   S.    K.,  District  Office  of  Public  Works, 

Belfast 
Kirk,  J.,  J. P.,  c.c,  Antrim  House,  Antrim 
Kirkvvood,  J.  A.,  47,  Queen  Street,  Belfast 
Kirkwood,  Miss,  Jennymount  Nat.  School,  Belfast 
Knight,  William,  49,  Rosemount  Gardens,  Belfast 
Knovvles,  W.J.,M.R. l.A.jFlixton  Place,  Ballymena 
Knox,  Rev.  W.  F.,  11,  Artillery  Street,  Derry 
Knox,  R.  K. ,  LL.i).,  Northern  Bank,  Belfast 
Kyle,  R.  A.,  II  &  13,  Donegall  Place,  Belfast 

Lanyon,  J.  ,j.  p.,  Lisbreen,  Fortwilliam  Park,  Belfast 
Latimer,  Rev.  W.  T. ,  Eglish,  Dungannon 
Lattimore,  Jos.,  53,  Royal  Avenue,  Belfast 
Laverty,   Very  Rev.    Henry,   v.c;.,   President    St. 

Malachy's  Gollege,  Belfast 
I.awlor,     H.     G.,     Killyfaddy     House,     Windsor 

Avenue,  Belfast 
Leahy,  David,  linfield,  (ilengormley,  Belfast 
Lecky,  Miss,  20,  Gorry  Avenue,  Kingstown 
Lee,  James     M.,   71,   Benwell    Terrace,   Oldpark 

Road,   Belfast 
Lemon,  A.  D. ,  j.p. ,  Edgcumbe,  Slrandtown 
Leonard,  J.,  Lisahany,  Londonderry 
L'Estrange,  Thos.,  7,  Howard  Street,  Belfast 
Lett,  Rev.  H.  W. ,  m.r.i.a.,  Loughbricland,  Co. 

Down 
Lewis,  Jos,,  Pakenham  Street,  Belfast 
Lilley,    )ames,    1222,    Snyder    Avenue,    Philadel- 
phia, Pa.,  U.S.A. 
Linn,    R.,    229,    Hereford    Street,    Christchurch, 

New  Zealand 
Lockwood,  F.  W.,  16,  Waring  Street,  Belfast 
Lorimer,  \V.,  12,  Thorndale  Avenue,  Belfast 
Lowry,  D.  E.,  22  &  27,  iJonegall  Place,  Belfast 
Lumsden,  — ,  Aluminium  Works,  Larne 
Lyle,    Mrs.    E. ,    Rigginsdale    Road,    Streatham, 

London 
Lyle,  Rev.  Thos.,  Rosevale,  Knock,  Belfast 
Lynam,  Chas.,  Stoke-on-Trent 
Lynch,  P.  J.,  8,  Upper  Mallow  Street,  Limerick 
Lyster,  William,  Mariners' No.  2  National  School, 

Nelson  Street,  Belfast 

Macauley,    J.,    D.L.,   Red    Hall,   Ballycarry,   Co. 

Antrim 
Maconachie,      Rev.     J.,      Erindale,      Cliftonville 

Avenue,   Belfast 


MacDonnell,  Colonel,  Kilmore,  Glenariff 
MacDowell,  Wm.,  69,  Arthur  Street,  Belfast 
MacElheran,  W.    F. ,  3,  Gollege  Gardens,  Belfast 
Mackenzie,  J.,  7,  Donegall  Square  East,  Belfast 
MacMillan,  Mrs.,  Martello,  Holy  wood 
Mac.Millan,     Rev.    J.,    Daisyfield    Villas,     South 

Parade     Belfast 
MacMullan,  P.  J.,  j.p.,  20,  Corn   Market,  Belfast 
MacMullan,    Very    Rev.    Alex.,    p.p.v.s.,    Bally- 
mena 
MacNaughton,     Sir     F. ,     Dundrave,     Bushmills, 

Go.    Antrim 
MacNeill,  John,  4,  College  Green,  Dublin 
Macoun,   J.,   Geological    Survey    Dept.,   Ottawa, 

Canada 
Macoun,  John,  Kilmore  House,  Lurgan,  Co.  Down 
Macoun,  John,  Museum,  Sussex  Street,  Ottawa 
Mac  Ritchie,  D. ,  4,  Archibald  Road,  Edinburgh 
Macrory,  Ed.,  Q.c,  19,  Pembridge  Square,  Bays- 
water,  London,  W. 
MacShane,  A.,  m.P).,  New  Orleans,  U.S.A. 
Magahan,  F.  W. ,  Lurgan 
Magrath,  Redmond,  Dundalk 
Maguire,  Rev.  E. ,  Rectory,  Bangor,  Co.  Down 
Mahony,    J.    J.,     2,     Fort    Villas,     Queenstown, 

Co.    Cork 
Mains,  John,  j.p.,  Eastbourne,  Coleraine 
Major,  Alex.,  Castle  Gary,  Moville,  Co.  Derry 
Major,  Rev.  J.  J.,  Rectory,  .-Vrdinbrae,  Lurgan 
Malcolm,   Bowman,   Inver,  Antrim   Road,  Belfast 
Malcolm,  James,  jun.,  Lurgan 
Malcolm,  "W.  H.,  Holy  wood 
Malone,  J.,  la,  Bedford  Street,  Belfast 
Mann,   Colonel  Deane,   Dunnioyle,   Sixmilecross, 

Go.   Tyrone 
Mark,  J.  M.,  The  Manse,  Dunbo,  Castlerock 
Marshall,  H.  C,  113,  Duncairn  Gardens,  Belfast 
Marshall,  John,  58,  Deramore  Avenue,  Belfast 
Martin,  A.  W.,  22,  Bedford  Street,  Belfast 
Martm,  T.  IL,  Dunmurry 
Mathers,     H.,     New     Forge     House,      Maralin, 

Lurgan 
Matthews,  G.,  Maguiresbridge,  Co.  l'"ermanagh 
Matthews,  Thomas  H.,  8,  Dunluce  Street,  Belfast 
Maturin,  Rev.  A.  H.,  The  Rectory,  Maghera 
Mayler,     J.     E. ,     Harristown,     Ballymitty,     Co. 

Wexford 
May,  Robert,  Elgin  Terrace,  Belfast 
Meek,  David,  Royal  Avenue,  Belfast 
Meissner,  Dr.  A.  L.,  Queen's  College,  Belfast 
Millan,  S.  S.,  44,  Ulsterville  Avenue,  Belfast 
Millar,  G.   D. ,  Glens  of  Antrim   Hotel,   Cushen- 

dall 
Milligan,    Miss    A.,    The    Drift,    Antrim     Road, 

Belfast 
Milligan,  Peter,  Haddon  Villa,  Newtownbreda 
MoUan,  W.  S. ,  Upper  Queen  .Street,  Belfast 
Molloy,     W.     R.    J.,     78,     Kenilworth     Square, 

Rathgar,   Dublin 
Montgomery,   B.   W.   D.,    Montrose,    Fortwilliam 

i'ark,  Belfast 
Montg(3mery,   H.    De    1'".,   Blessingbourne,    Five- 

miletown 
Montgomery,      John,      51,     Eglantine      Avenue, 

Belfast 
Montgomery,    J.    W.,    Victoria    Terrace,   Down- 
pat  rick 
Montgomery,  J.,  23,  College  Street  .South,  Belfast 


LIST    OF    SUBSCRIBERS. 


237 


Montgomery,      Miss,      Conway      Street      F'emale 

National  School,  Belfast 
Montgomery,  R  ,  38,  Wellington  Park,  Belfast 
Moore,  George,  "Northern  Whig"  Office,  Belfast 
Moran,    John,   m.a.,  ll.d.,  12,  Gardiner's   I'lace, 

Dublin 
Morgan,  Rev.  Canon,  The  Library,  Armagh 
Moreland,  William,  Little  Patrick  Street,   Belfast 
Morris,  Charles,  Glenarm,  Co.  Antrim 
Morrison,  A.  R.,  Maghera,  Co.  Derry 
Morrow,  J.,  30,  Donegall  Quay,  Belfast 
Muldoon,  William,  16,   Rossmore  Avenue,    Ually- 

nafeigh 
Mullan,  Charles,  Solicitor,  Omagh 
Munce,  James,  Town  Hall,  Belfast 
Munn,  R.  J.,  M.D.,  Savannah,  Georgia,  U.S.A. 
Munro,  R.,  m.a.,  m.D.,  Edinburgh 
Murphy,  M.  M.,   Solicitor,  Troyswood,  Kilkenny 
Murray,  H.  B..  J. P.,  Ardnaveigh,  Antrim 
Mussen,  Dr.,  The  Cottage,   Glenavy,  Co.  Antrim 
Myles,   Rev.    E.,  Tullylish  Rectory,  Gilford,  Co. 

Down 
M'Allister,  Jas.  B.,  Kenbaan,  Ballymena 
M'Bratney,  Miss,  Lome  Terrace,  Mountpotlinger 
M'Bretney,     W.    A.    J.,    31,    Haypark    Avenue, 

Ballynafeigh 
M'Bride,  J.,  "Northern  Whig,"  Belfast 
M 'Bride,    Jos.,    Harbour    Commissioners'   Office, 

Westport 
M'Cahan,  R. ,  Ballycastle,  Co.  Antrim 
M'Cann,  Charles,    52,    Market    Street,    Newark, 

N.J.,  U.S.A. 
M'Cartan,  M.,  M.P.,  Waring  Street,  Belfast 
M'Cartan,  Rev.  E.,  P.P.,  Larne 
M'Carte,  M.,St.  George's  Hill,  Everton,  Liverpool 
M'Caughan,    Rev.    W.     J.,     Third     Presbyterian 

Church,   Chicago 
M'Causland,  J.    E. ,    33,   Prospect    Terrace,    Uni- 
versity Road,  Belfast 
M'Clelland,     Thos.     .S. ,     417,     Superior     Street, 

Chicago,  Illinois,  U..S..A. 
M'Clintock,     Rev.     F.     G.,     Drumcar     Rectory, 

Dunleer,   Co.    Louth 
M'Cloy,     Samuel,     The     Ferns,     Fernlea    Road, 

Balham,   London,   S.W. 
M'Connell,  J.,  North  Street,  Belfast 
M'Connell,  J.  R.,  Rathmore,  Downpalrick 
M'Cormick,  H.  M'Neille,  Oranmore,  Craigavad 
M'Cormick,  Mrs.  H.  M'Neille 
M'Cotter,    Rev.    Thomas,    iM.A.,    St.     Malachy's 

College,   Belfast 
M'Crea,  Basil,  Upper  Crescent,  Belfast 
M'CuUoch,  H.,  Arthur  Street,  Belfast 
M'Cullough,  F.  W.,  Belfast  Water  Commissioners, 

Royal  Avenue,  Belfast 
M 'Curdy,  J.,  104,  University  Street,  Belfast 
M 'Donald,  Allan,  LL.D.,  Glenarm 
M'Ervel,    W.,    Spamount    Mill,    Casllederg,    Co. 

Tyrone 
M'Fetridge,  Wm.,  Antrim 
M'Gee,  Jas.,  Holy  wood 

M'Gee,  S.  M.,  51,  University  Street,  Belfast 
M'Gonigle,  Rev.  W.  A.,  48,  North  Bridge  Street, 

Sunderland 
M'Govern,   Rev.    J.    H.,    St.    Stephen's    Rectory, 

Charlton-on-Medlock,  Manchester 
M'Grath,  Edward,  24,  Pearl  Street,  San  Francisco, 

Cal. 


M'Grath,  William   Martin,  B.  L.,  Rea's  Buildings, 

Belfast 
M 'Henry,  Israel,  Estate  Office,  Lisburn 
M'Henry,  R.,  6,  Flmwood  .Avenue,  Belfast 
MTlroy,  Wm.,  41,  Eglinton  Street,  Belfast 
M'Kee,  J.,  30,  East  39th  Street,  New  York  City 
M'Kee,    R.,   Hasleden  Cottage,   Bramshill   Road, 

London 
M'Kee,  W.  S.,  20,  Mill  Street,  Belfast 
M'Keefry,  Rev.   R.  J.,  Waterside,  Londonderry 
M'Kenna,    Rev.    J.    E.      m.r.la.,    St.    Michael's 

Presbytery,  Enniskillen 
M'Keown,   C.  J.,   c/o  J.   .\:    R.   O'Kane,   Church 

Street,   Belfast 
M 'Kinney,   W.    F.,   Bally vesey,   Carnmoney,   Co. 

Antrim 
M'Kisack,  Alf.,  15,  College  Square  East,  Belfast 
M 'Knight,  J.  P.,  Chichester  Park,  Belfast 
M'Loone,    Neille,    Royal    Bay    View,    Ballybegs, 

Co.    Donegal 
M'Loughlin,  J.,  Cart  Hall,  Coleraine 
iVl'Murtry,  R. ,  Helensview,  Antrim  Road,  Belfast 
M'Nally,     N.,     Conway    Street     Male     National 

.School,    Belfast 
M'Quitty,  R.,  Crown  Office,  Court  House,  Belfast 
M 'Shane,  Rev.  J.,  p.p.,  Portglenone 


Naturalists'  Field  Club,  Belfast 

Neill,     Sharman     D. ,    Rowandean,    Marlborough 

Park,   Belfast 
Nicholson,  H.  J.,  21,  Bedford  Street,  Belfast 
Norman,  (ieo.,  M.D.,  12,  Brock  Street,  Bath 
North     Belfa.st    Working    Men's    Club,    Danube 

Street,   Belfast 


Olphert,  R.  C. ,  Urney  House,  Urney,  Co.  Tyrone 

Orr,  CJavin,  ^^D.,  Bally  lesson,  Lisburn 

Orr,  Miss.  Jennymount  National  School,  Belfast 

Orr,  Rev.  L.  S.,  Ballyalbany,  Monaghan 

Orr,  W.,  K.M.,  Dungarvan 

Ossory,  Ferns,  and  Leighlin,  The  Lord  Bishop  of, 

The  Palace,  Kilkenny 
Oulton,     Rev.     R.     C,     B.D.,     Cilynn     Rectory, 

Belfast 
O'Callaghan,  J.  C,  Rydalmere,   Kavenhill   Road, 

Belfast 
O'Connell,  Dan.,  Imperial  Hotel,  Sligo 
O'Connell,  Rev.  D.,  B.D.,  81,  Quay,  Waterford 
O'Connor,      Rev.     D.,     p.p..     Parochial    House, 

Newtovvnbutler,  Fermanagh 
O'Doherty,   Most  Rev.  J.    K. ,   Bishoj)  of   Derry, 

Bishop's  House,  Derry 
O'Doherty,     William,     Solicitor,     Castle     Wall, 

Derry 
O'Hagan,  Felix,  j. p.,  73,  Victoria  Street,   Belfast 
O'Hara,  Rev.  Canon,  Fortwilliam  Park,  Belfast 
O'Laverty,  Very  Rev.  Jas.,  P.P.,  Holywood 
O'Meagher,  C,  J. P.,  23,  Wellington  Road,  Dublin 
O'Neill,    Capt.    F.,    Dept.    of    Police,    Chicago, 

U.S.A. 
O'Neill,     H.,     M.D.,    6,     College    Square    East, 

Belfast 
O'Neill,    J.,     M.A.,     5,     College     Square     East, 

Belfast 
O'Neill,    J.,    Wilson's    Hospital,    Multyfarnham, 

Westmeath 


238 


LIST    OK    SUBSCRIBERS. 


O'Neill,  J.,  i8,  Danube  Street,  Belfast 

O'Neille,   Rev.   J.    K.,   St.    Patrick's    Presbytery, 

Donegal!  Street,  l^elfast 
O'Reilly,  Jas.,  1309,  Locust  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 

U.S.A. 


Parkinson,  Edward,  The  Mall,  Downpatrick 
Parr,    WiHiam,     St.     Mark's     National     School, 

Ballysillan 
Patterson,  A.  H.,  3,  New  Square,  Lincoln's  Inn, 

London,  W.C. 
Patterson,  R.,  J.i'.,  High  Street,  Belfast 
Patterson,  R.  L.,  j. p.,  Talbot  Street,  Belfast 
Patterson,  Robert,  59,  High  Street,  Belfast 
Patterson,  Wm.    H.,    m.R.i.a.,  13,  Bridge  Street, 

Belfast 
Phillips,  J.  J.,  C.E.,  Adelaide  Park,  Belfast 
Pigott,    VV.    J.,    Manor    House,    Dundrum,    Co. 

Down 
Pirn,  E.  W.,  29,  High  Street,  Belfast 
Pini,  T.  W.,  21,  Victoria  Street,  Belfast 
Plunkett,  G.  N.  C,  24,  Upper  Htzwilliam  Street, 

Dublin 
Plunkett,  Thomas,  M.R.I.A.,  Enniskillen 
Ponsonby,  Ed.,  116,  Grafton  Street,  Dublin 
Porter,  W. ,  Beechview,  Balmoral  Avenue,  Belfast 
Power,   Rev,    P.,    St.    John's    Presbytery,   Water- 
ford 
Presho,  Christopher,  Belmont  Lodge,  Knock 
IVingle,  Alex..  Maymount,  Criliy,  Aughnacloy 
Purdon,     IL     S.,     M.D.,    60,     Pakenham     Place, 

Belfast 
Pyper,  James,   M.A.,    Belfast    Mercantile  College, 

Belfast 


Quaile,  Rev.  P.  ,Dunmore,  Ballynahinch,Co.  Down 
Queen's  College  Library,  Belfast 
Quinn,  James  A.,  Solicitor,  Dungannon 


Ramsey,     Sinclare,      Donegall      Square      North, 

Belfast 
Rankin,    William,   jun. ,    Woodbury,    Derryvolgie 

Avenue,   Belfast 
Raphael,  Geo.,  tialgorm  House,  Ballymena 
Raymond,    Rev.    J.,   Lakelands     House,   Anyella 

P.O.,  Co.  Monaghan 
Redmond,  D.,  Belfast  Bank,  Antrim 
Reid,  James,  17.  Wellington  Park,  Belfast 
Reid,  Robert,  37,  King  Street,  Belfast 
Reilly,  Geo.  E. ,  53,  Royal  Avenue,  Belfast 
Reman,  Rev.  R.  A.,  Hillsborough 
Reynell,  Rev.  W.  A.,  n.D. ,  22,  Eccles  St.,  Dublin 
Richardson    &    Sons,    6,    Church    Street,     Dun- 
gannon 
Richardson,     Colonel,     Rossfad,     Ballinamallard, 

Co.    Fermanagh 
Richardson,  Miss,  Craigintemple,  Portrush 
Riddell,  Mrs.,  Ardgreenan,  Cavehill  Road,  Belfast 
Riordan,  J.  F.,  99,  Donegall  Street,  Belfast 
Riordan,  T.  J.,  Charleville,  Co.  Cork 
Robb,  J.,  General  Post  Office,  Belfast 
Robertson,  W.  J.,  20,  St.  Mary  Abbotts  Terrace, 

Kensington,  London 
Robinson,  Jas.    R.,   7,   George's  Terrace,  Castle- 

reagh  Street,  Belfast 


Robinson,  John,  258,  Woodstock  Road,  Belfast 

Rodman,  W. ,  Riverside,  Holy  wood 

Rogers,  J.,  j.  p.,  Eden-a-Grena,  Cranmore  Park, 
Belfast 

Rogers,  W.  E.,  Belfast  Banking  Co.,  Portaferry 

Rogers,  Wilfred  E.,  30,  Southbourne  Road, 
Sheffield 

Rolleston,  J.  K.,  c/o  J.  Elliott  &  Co.,  Spring- 
field P'actory,  Belfast 

Rose-CIelland,  Miss  A.  E. ,  Redford  House,  Moy, 
Co.  Tyrone 

Rose,  J.  W. ,  Trowbridge 

Roy,  John,  141,  Madrid  Street,  Belfast 

Rushe,  D.  C,  Ear  Meehue,  Monaghan. 


Salmon,  John,  Castlereagh  Street,  Belfast 
Savage,  — ,  Antrim 

Sayers,  Rev.  Canon,  The  Glebe,  Ballinderry 
Scott,    Rev.    Chas  ,   M.A.,    St.    Paul's    Parsonage, 

Belfast 
Scott,  Rev.  J.  B.,  Banagher  Rectory,  Derrychrie, 

Derry 
Scott,   Samuel,   8,  North    Guildey   Street,   Elgin, 

N.B. 
Seaver,     H.,     Architect       128,     Royal     Avenue, 

Belfast 
Shanks,  James,  Ballyfounder,  Portaferry 
Shields,  W.  J.,  Carlisle  Circus,  Belfast 
Simms,  F.  B.,  62,  Upper  Queen  Street,  Belfast 
Simpson,  Mrs.,  West  Church  Manse,  Ballymena 
Simpson,  W.  M.,  15,  Hughenden  Avenue,  Antrim 

Road,  Belfast 
Sinclair,  Thomas,  J. P.,  Hopefield,  Belfast 
Slator,    William,    Strandtown    National    School, 

Belfast 
Small,  J.  F.,  37,  Hill  Street,  Newry 
Smith,  A.  F.,  34,  College  Green,  Dublin 
Smith,    Blair,    Laurence    Street,     h'oyle    College 

Gardens,   Derry 
Smith,  Geo.,  Linenhall  Library,  Belfast 
Smith,  J.,  c/o  Richardson,   Sons  &  Owden,  Chi- 
chester Street,  Belfast 
Smith,  Owen,  Nobber,  Co.  Meath 
Smith,  Rev.  R.  H.,  The  Manse,  Castleblayney 
Smith,  Rev.  W.  S.,  The  Manse,  Antrim 
Smyth,  Hugh,  Laurel  Cottage  Plantation,  Lisburn 
Smyth,  ).,  26,  Chichester  Street,  Belfast 
Smyth,  T.,  13,  College  Street  South,  Belfast 
Smyth,  Yen.  Archdeacon,  Carnmoney,  Belfast 
Somerville,    A.    B.,    Claremount,    Rathnew,    Co. 

Wicklow 
Speers,  A.,  B.sc,  Sullivan  Upper  Schools,  Holy- 
wood 
Spence,  Alexander,  M'Tier  Street  National  School, 

Belfast 
Spence,     Robert,     Magdalene    National     School, 

Belfast 
St.  Mary's  Hall  News  Room,  Bank  Street,  Belfast 
St.  Patrick's  College,  Maynooth 
Standen,     R.,    The     Museum,    Owen's    College, 

Manchester 
Staples,  J.  H.,  Lissan,  Cookstown 
Steele,  David,  113,  Royal  Avenue,  Belfast 
Steele,   Rev.  J.    H.,  The   Cottage,  Croni   Castle, 

Belturbet,   Co.   Cavan 
Stephens,  W.  H.,  Martello  Terrace,  Holy  wood 


LIST    OF    SUBSCRIBERS. 


239 


Stewart,    J.,    Rreda    Park,    Newtownbreda 
Stewart,  Rev.  J.,  Pond  Park,  Lisburn 
Stewart,  Rev.  J.,  The  Manse,  Rathgar,  Dublin 
Stewart,  S.  A.,  Museum,  Belfast 
Stewart.  Thomas,  Nelson  Street  National  School, 

Belfast 
Stokesberry,  Samuel,  16,  Corn  Market,  Belfast 
Strahan,    Geo.    W. ,   Landsdowne,   Malone   I'.uk, 

Belfast 
Strahan,  J.   A.,    i.   New   Square,   Lincoln's    Inn, 

London,   E.G. 
Strahan,   S.   A.    K.,   Landsdowne,   Malone   Park, 

Belfast 
Stronge,  James  H.,  Hockley  Lodge,  Armagh 
Stubbs,  Henry,  M.A.,  Danby,  Ballyshannon 
Suttleham,  ].,  299,  Grumlin  Road,  Belfast 
Swanston,  J.  A.,  Lynn,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 
Swanston,  Robert,  New  Britain,  Gonn.,  U.S. A 
Swanston,  \V.,  Giiftonpark  Avenue,  Belfast 
Swanzy,  H.  B. ,  Ivy  Lodge,  Newry 
Swiney,    John    H.     H.,    M.Inst  G.  E.,     Avenue 

Chambers,  Belfast 

Taggarl,  W.  H.,  20,  Brookmount  Street,  Belfast 
Taylor.  R.  T. ,  j. p.,  Distillery,  Goleraine 
Teeling,  C.  II.,  9,  Blessington  Street,  Dublin 
Teeling,   L.   A.,  19,  St.  Stephen's  Green,  Dublin 
Tempest,  VV.,  Diindalk 
Tenison,  Chas.  M.,  Hobart,  Tasmania 
Thompson    &     Co.,     90,     Main    Street,     Ashley 

Buildings,  Bangor 
Thompson,  James,  99,  Donegall  Street,  Bellast 
Thompson,  James,  J. P.,  Macedon,  Belfast 
Thompson,  Miss  S.  M.,  Macedon,  Belfast 
Thompson,  Rev.  G.  W.,  Castle  Street,  Lisburn 
Thompson,    Rev.   Samuel,   Clifton    Street  Manse, 

Belfast 
Thomson,  James,  ma.,  c.e.,  22,  Wentworth  Place, 

Newcastle-on-Tyne 
Todd,    C.    H.,    Ballymacarrett    National    School, 

Newtownards  Roatl.  Belfast 
Tomlinson,  W.  T.  C,  B.  &  N.  C.  Railway,  York 

Road,  Belfast 
Torrens,  J.,  Rosstulla,  Whiteabbey 
Trimble,  T.  C. ,  Enniskillen 
Tully,  James,  Belfast 

Ulster    Club    (]ier    H.    Lonsdale),    Castle    Place, 

Belfast 
Ulster  Bank  (Librarian),  Waring  Street,  Belfast 

Vicars,   Sir   Arthur,   Ulster    King    of   Arms,   The 

Castle,    Dublin 
Vigors,  Colonel  P.   D.,    Holloden,  Bagenalstown, 

Co.   Carlow 
Vinycomb,  John,  m.r.i.a.,  Holywood 


Walker,  W.  J.,  47,  (Queen's  S.juare,  Belfast 
Walkington,'Miss  L.  A.,  i.l.ij.,  Edenvale,  Strand- 
town,  Belfast 
Walkington,    Mrs.    M.    O.,    Greythorne,    Kings- 
town 
Ward,  F.  D.,  II,  Gardens,  Malone  Road,  Belfast 
Ward,  F    E.,  College  Street,  Belfast 
Ward,     Henry    Somerset,     6,     Carlisle     Terrace, 

Malahide,  Go.  Dublin 
Ward,  Isaac  W.,  Linenhall  Library,  Belfast 
Ward,  John,  J.  p.,  Lennoxvale,  Belfast 
Ward,  M.  J.  B.,  Thorneloe  Lodge,  Worcester 
Ward,  Philip,  Cavendish  Square,  Belfast 
Watson,    James,    Lord    Street    National    School, 

Belfast 
Watson,    Rev.   Chas.,   The  Vicarage,    Newcastle, 

Co.   Down 
Webber,  F.  (House  of  the  Temple  of  the  Supreme 
Council),  433,  Third  Street.  N.  W.  Washing- 
ton, D.C. 
Welch,  Robert,  49,  Lonsdale  Street,  Belfast 
West,  Capt.    E.    E. ,   Whitepark,    Brookeborough, 

Co.  Fermanagh 
White,  E.  W.,  Solicitor,  Chichester  Park,  Belfast 
Whitelegge,  Rev.  W.,  Ballinlough  House,  Cork 
Whiltaker,     William,      Rea's     Buildings,      Royal 

Avenue,   Belfast 
\Villiams    &    Northgate,    Society    of  Antiquaries, 

<^)ueen  Street,  Edinburgh 
Wilkins,  G.  G.,  Solicitor,  Lisburn 
W'ilson,     A.,     75,     South     St.     George's    Street, 

Dublin 
Wilson,  Geo  ,  9,  Bedford  Street,  Belfast 
Wilson,  Geo.,  Northern  Bank,  Goleraine 
Wilson,     Robert,    Ava    House,     Ornieau     Road, 

Belfast 
Wilson,  W.  H.,  Stranmillis,  Malone,  Belfast 
Wilson,      W.      W.,     Ardgannagh,      Ballsbridge, 

Dublin 
Wood-Martin,  Colonel,  Cleveragh,  Sligo 
Woods,  Cecil  Crawford,  21,  Dyke  Paraiie,  Cork 
Woodside,    R.    P.,  Carnsampson,  Ballycastle,  Co. 

Antrim 
Woodward,    Mrs.    A.    S.,    St.    Mark's    Vicarage, 

Ballysillan 
Woodward,    Rev.    G.    O.,    St.    John's     Rectory, 

Hillsboro' 
Wolsely,  W.  C. ,  Ballymena 
Wright,  Professor  E.  Percival,  M.A.,  M.D.,  Trinity 

College,  Dublin 
Wright,  Rev.  E.  A.,  St.  John's  \'icarage,  Hull 

Young,  Robert,  Ardmore  Terrace,  Holywood 
Young,   Robert,  J. P.,    Rathvarna,    Antrim    Road, 

Belfast 
Young,  Robert  M.,  m.r.i.a.,  Rathvarna 
Young,  W.,j.p.,  Fenaghy,  Cullybackey 


%\6l  Of  3llu0tration6. 


Plan  of  Carrickfergus  circa  1540,  Fiontispi 
Flint  Flake,  from  Ormeau,  Belfast    ... 


,,     Arrow-head         ,,  ,, 

,,     Axe  ,,  ,, 

FlagofC.ill-hall  Volunteers 

Burial  Urn  found  at  Glenavy... 

,,  ,,    (Ornament) 

Layde   Map 

Church,  West  Gable 

,,  ,,         Ground  Plan 

(Details)  

,,  ,,         Sections  of  Church    ... 

,,  ,,         MacDonnell  Cross    ... 

,,  ,,         Armorial  Stones 

Dr.  James  MacDonnell 
Souterrain  at  Connor,  Plan  and  .Section 
,,  ,,       Section 

,,  ,,        Ogam  Inscriptions 

Lavens  M.  Ewart  ...  ...  ...  laci 

Ewart  Arms 
Teampull  Lastrac  Cross 

,,  ,,        (kound  Plan 

Bog  Shoes 

Bog  Net  and  Bag 

Old  Dublin  Coach  Bill  

Donegall  Street,  Belfast  

Rev.  William  Bruce 

Garden  Hill,  Belfa.st 

Mount  Collyer,  Belfast 

Castleton,  Belfast  

Lilliput,  Belfast  

First  Ulster  Regiment  Volunteer  Medal 
Aughnacloy  Volunteer  .Medal... 
Lisburn  Volunteer  ISadge 
Monument  to  Robert  Anderson 

Connor  Ogam  Inscriptions 

Donaghcloney  Church 

Hugh  O'Neill,  Baron  of  Dungannon...  fac 

Irish  College,  Rome     ... 


5 

5 

6 

7 

7 
23 
24 

25 
26 

35 
35 
36 

39 
40 
41 
42 
46 
47 
48 
49 
59 
59 
60 
61 
63 
64 
66 
71 
75 
76 
78 
79 
79 
80 

93 
94 
94 
100 
104 
105 
106 
114 
115 
115 


Tomb  of  Daniel  O'Connell's  Heart,  Rome  ... 
Tomb  of  the  Earls  at  Rome  ... 
Collegium  S.  Isidori,  Rome  .., 
John  Colgan 

Sword  of  O'Neill  

Luke  Wadding's  Tomb 

Hugh  MacCaghwell     

Luke  Wadding... 

Ardtole  Souterrain,  Map  and  View    ... 
,,  ,,  Plan  and  .Section 

Derrykeighan  Old  Church       

,,  Parish  Church  ... 

Thomp.son's  Bank,  Shore  Road,  Belfast 

Ritchie's  Dock,  Belfast  

High  Street,  Belfast 

Glass  Works,  Belfast 

Old  Manse,  I\osemary  Street,  Belfast    -• 

Joy's  Paper  Mill,  Belfast       ' 

The  Ca.stle,  Belfast       

The  Bank  Buildingsand  Hercules  Place,  Belfast 

House  in  Chichester  Street,  Belfast 

Whileabbey,  Plan  and  Section 


PAGE. 

..    116 


122 
129 

130 
146 
147 
151 
156 
162 


Creevelea  Friary,  the  Cloisters 

,,  ,,  General  View 

,,  ,,  Ground  Plan 

,,  ,,  East  Window 

,,  ,,  Mullions 

,,  ,,  Stone  Altar,  South  Chapel 

,,  ,,  Entrance,            ,,            ,, 

,,  ,,  Terminal  and  Block 

,,  ,,  The  Tower 

,,  ,,  Arch  of  Central  Tower 

,,  ,,  Terminals   ... 

,,  ,,  Staircase  to  Tower 

,,  ,,  "  S.  I''rancis  Preaching"  .. 

,,  ,,  Ornament    ... 
Colville  Arms,  Newtownards... 


Thomas  McTear 

Dervock  Covenanting  Meeting-house 

Carrickfergus  Volunteer  Medal 

Spa-well  at  the  Blackstaff       

Castle  Place,  Belfa.st,  1613      

Tombstone  of  Edward  Brice  ... 


169 
170 
171 
171 
172 
172 

•••    173 
...    175 
...    176 
facttig  179 


192 

193 
194 

195 
195 
196 
197 
198 
199 
200 
201 


207 
208 
211 

215 
219 
228 
231 
232 


INDEX 


ULSTER    JOURNAL    OF    ARCHAEOLOGY, 
Vol.    V. 

Compiled  by  Frederic  Charles  Bigcer. 


Abbey    church,    Newlownards  ;    Colville    in- 
scriptions therein,  203,  207,  20S. 
Al)bey,  the,  Belfast,  166. 
Abernethy,     Rev.     John,     a.m.,     58,     1S2-184  ; 

ordained,  189  ;  portrait  of,  190 
Adams,  Rev.  W.  A.,  B.A.,  Antrim,  pajicr  by,  5-8. 
Alexander,  Lord  Mount,  205,  206. 
Ancient  churches  of  Armagh  (Reeves),  220-227. 
Anderson,  Robert,  the  Cumberland  bard,  100   104; 
resides   in  Carnmoney,    loi,  102  ;    his  publi- 
cations, 103,   104  ;  monument  to,  104. 
Andersen's  Poems,  101-103. 
Anderson,  Rev.  John,  185,  186,  188. 
Annals  of  Connacht  a^xoi&A,  91. 

,,        of  hour  Masters  quoted,    lo,   12,  14,  15, 

17,  19,  81,  196,  222-224,  226. 
,,         The  Irish,  referred  to,  i,  note  2. 
,,        of  Tii^ernach  quoted,  15,  86. 
,,        of  Ulster,   references  to,  17  ;  (juoted,  86, 

■      87,    221.      _ 

Antiquaries,  commercial,  53. 

,,  Journal  of  A'.  S.  of,  quotations  from, 

107,    108. 
Antiquities,  repugnant  dealing  and  hawking  of,  53; 

inimical  to  true  scientific  research,  53. 
Antrim,  Earl  of,  149. 

,,        Presbyterian    congregational    register    of, 
180-190. 
Archdell  referred  to,  200. 
Atd  Miuha,  origin  of,  224-227. 
Ardrie,  Belfast,  old  clock  at,  77,  note  2  ;   volumes 
of  Belfast  poetry,  loo  ;   epitaph,   papers,  and 
old  calico  preserved  at,  102-104. 
Ardtole  souterrain,  Co.  Down,  146,    147. 
Ards,  parishes  in  the,  see  vestry  book. 
Armagh,  ancient  churches  of,  220-227. 
,,         origin  of  the  name,  224-227. 
Arrowhead  found,  7. 
Aryans,  the  migration  of  the,  112. 
Atkinson,    Rev.     E.    D.,    I, I.E.,    book    by,    114; 

extracts  by,    loS,    109. 
Aughnacloy  volunteers'  medal,  94. 
"  Auld  Licht  "  sentiments,    161. 

OAGS,  leather,   in  peat  bogs,  66,   67. 
Ball,  F.  Elrington,  m.r.i.a.,  reply  by,  113. 
Ballyhalbert    parish    church,   96 ;    list    of  church- 
wardens, 98,  99. 


Ballymacarrett  old  roads  and  works,  169,    170. 

Ballywalter,  see  vestry  book  of. 

Bank,  the  Commercial,  79;  originators,  163,  165. 

Baptisms,  old  register  of,    182-184. 

Bards,  see  poets. 

Baron,    Bonaventure,    monumental    inscription    in 

Isidoro,    134. 
Bazaar  books,  232. 

Bell,   old  parish  church  of  Belfast,    177. 
Belfast  Academical   Institution,   71,   72. 

,,      and  Carnmoney,  Anderson  in,  101-104. 
,,       buildings,  roads,  families,  residences,  etc., 
75-77,   79,  80,    162-168. 
Charitable  Society,  77,  78,  177. 
,,       frauds,  21 1-2 13. 
,,       glassworks,    170. 
,,       History  of,   referred  to,  74. 
,,       merchant  families,  212,  note  i. 
,,       News- Letter  quoted,  70. 
,,       old,    58,    see    personal    recollections  ;    oki 
parish  church  bell,  177  ;  poets,  100,  notes. 
„       population  of,  in  1796,  167. 
,,       RcininistenC'S  of  Old,  referred  to,  228. 
,,       Society,  209. 
,,       vicars,  52. 
l'>elmore,   the   Rt.    Hon.   Earl  of,  c.c.M.i;.,  paper 

by,  27-34. 
Belshaw,  Robert  Redman,  paper  by,  20-22. 
Benvarden,  Presbyterian  congregation  of,  214. 
Berry,  Captain  R.  G.,  papers  by,  9-19,  S4-91. 
Betham-Philli[>ps  MS.,  29,  30. 
Bigger,  David,  cotton  printer,  epitaph  on,  102. 
,,       F.  C,  Irish  tombs  in  Rome,  115. 
,,        Francis  Joseph,  M.K  I. A.,  Ed.,  papers  by, 
23,  24,  35-46,  60-62,  100-104,  146, 147, 
175,  176  ;  obituary  notices  by,    59,  60, 
179;  old  Belfast  edited,  67-80,  162-174, 
211-213;   Colville  rubl)ings,   203,   207, 
208;  notes  by,   52,   53,    107,  no,    II2, 
184,    189,    note    I,    203  ;    note    I,    210  ; 
note  I,  212  ;  gift  by,  190  ;   bazaar  book 
by,  232. 
,,       James,  77,  note  2. 

Mrs.  David,  letter  to,  100,  102. 
Bog  butter,  112. 
Bogs,  leather  finds  in,  63-67. 
Bones  in  burial  urn,  25,  26. 


242 


Book  of  Conquests  quoted,  lO,  II. 

,,     of  Lecan   quoted,    9,    10;    passages    from, 
224-226. 

Books,  sre  reviews  of. 

Breffny,  Franciscan  friary  of  Creevelea  in,  190-201. 

Brehun,    Maurice,   monumental   inscription  of,   in 
Isidoro,    133. 

Brice,  Edward,  tombstone  to,  232. 

Bright,  Ox  Down,  the  httle  city  of,  Si-83. 

Bristow,  Rev.  WilHam,  vicar  of  Belfast,  76. 

Browning,  Captain,  arrest  of,  27,  28. 

Bruce,  Edward,  at  Larne  and  Connor,  90. 
,,      Rev.  William,  D.D.,  77. 

Bryan,  Octavia  Catherine  Mary,  monumental  in- 
scription to,  in  Isidoro,  135. 

Bryson  family,  112,  1 13. 

,,       Rev.  William,  Antrim,  190. 

Buckle-beggars,  184,  i7ote  i. 

Buckly,  J.,  note  by,  177. 

Buick,  Rev.  Dr.,  remarks  on  ogam  stones,  48-50; 
referred  to,  105-107. 

Burial  urns  found  in  Glenavy,  24-26. 

Butter,  Irish  bog,  112. 

Caldwell  family,  Fermanagh,  32,  n. 
Camac,  Thomas,  papers  by,  147    161,  214   J17. 
Canoe  found,  52. 

Carley,  Rev.  James,  M.A.,  Antrim,  190. 
Carlingford,  the  arms  of,  58. 
Carmody,  Rev.  W.  P.,  A.l!. ,  paper  by,  47-50. 
Carncombsouterrain,ogam  stones,  47-50,  105-108. 
Carndoo,  Ballyboley,  11. 
Carngrany,  13. 

Carnmoney  in  1820,  168,  169  ;   see  Belfast  and. 
,,  and  Robert  Anderson,  100-104. 

,,  ruins  of  Whiteabbey  in,  175,  176. 

Carrickfergus,     unpublished    view    of,    1-4  ;    the 

Freres,    i,    2  ;    St.    Nicholas,    2  ;    castle  and 

roof,  3  ;  the  cross,  4. 
Carrickfergus  volunteer  medal,  219. 
Carson,    James,    monumental    inscription   to,    80, 

noie  3. 
Castlereagh,  Lord,  Robert  Stewart,  207. 
Chalice  of  Enniskillen  church,  27. 
Charlemont's,  Earl  of,  volunteers,  92;  restoration 

of  Irish  Roman  monuments,  116,  117. 
Chichester,  Lord  Deputy^  and  Joymount,  i,  2. 

,,  Sir  Arthur,  Deputy,  1 16,  1 17,  144,  151. 

Church    of   Ballywalter,    Ballyhalbert,    and     Inis- 
hargie,  96. 
,,       Layde,  old,  35-46. 

,,       of  Teampull  Lastrac,  60-62  ;  note,  228. 
Clanaghertie  estate,  143,  144. 
Clannaboy,  formerly  Dalaradia,  91. 
Clarendon,  Lord,  re  Sir  Robert  Colville,  204. 
Clarke,  Captain  Robert,  28,  29. 


Cochrane,  Robert,  F.s. A.,  ogam  stone  readings  by, 

105-10S. 
Coin  found,  Elizabethan,  51. 
Colgan,  115,  121,  note  i  ;   123. 
Colville  family  in  Ulster,  the,  139-145  ;  202-210  ; 

Norman    origin,    139  ;    later    Scottish,    139  ; 

Dr.     Alexander,    founder    of    Irish    family  ; 

rector    of    Skerry,    140,    151  ;    story    of    his 

bargain  with  the  devil,    140-142  ;  )wte,  202  ; 

liis   contempt    for  the   presbytery,  142,    143  ; 

CJalgorm   estate   purchased,    144  ;  sold,    144  ; 

Sir  Robert  purchases  estates  in    Down,  145, 

202-204  ;  his  politics,  204-206  ;  Lady  Rose, 

206,  207;  descendants,  207,  208;   Alexander, 

209  ;  last  of  the  family,  210. 
Colville  tombs,  203,  207,  20S. 
"  Colville's  hole,"  202,  note. 
Commissions,  old  army,  178. 
Congal  quoted,  84-86. 
Connor,  Ed.  Bruce  at,  91  ;  ogam  stones  found  in, 

47-50,      105-108  ;     references     to,    15,    and 

note  2. 
Corry,  James,  the  younger,  28,  29. 
Creave,  John,  inscribed  tomb  in  Rome,  132,  133. 
Creevelea,  Franciscan  friary  of,  190-201. 
Crookshank,  R.  R.  G.,  note  by,  228. 
Cross  of  Carrickfergus,  4. 
Cushendall,  Layde  old  church,  35-46. 
"  Custom  free,"  155. 
Customs,  Belfast,  169  ;  collector  of,  172. 

Dalaradia,  situation  and  name,  9,  10,  12  ; 
its  kings  and  battles,  12,  86-91  ;  Clannaboy,  9. 

Dalway(.r<?d?  Carrickfergus  volunteer  medal),  2 1 8, 2 1 9. 

Dawney's  Alban,  inscribed  tomb,  Rome,  124. 

Day,  Robert,  F.s.a.,  papers  by,  92-95,  218,  219. 

De  Courcy,  John,  81. 

De  Lacy  and  Carrickfergus,  2. 

Denty  Hall,  Belfast,  166. 

Dermot,  son  of  Fergus,  story  of  his  death,  15,  16. 

Oerrykeighan,  annals  of  the  parish  of,  MSS., 
148-158. 

Derrykeighan,  the  parish  of,  for  three  centuries, 
147-161,  214-217  ;  authorities,  148  ;  boun- 
daries, 149;  oldest  settlers,  149,  150 ;  in  1641, 
151  ;  the  covenant,  151,  152,  215  ;  rectors, 
152,  153;  insurgents,  154,  155;  vestry  minutes, 
156;  new  church,  156,  157;  churchwardens, 
158;  ministers,  159-161  ;  Benvarden,  214; 
Dervock,  214,  215  ;  R.C.  chapel,  216,  217. 

Dervock  church,  157  ;  Presbyterian  ministers, 
1 59-161  ;  Covenanters,  214,  215  ;  cha]3el, 
216,   217. 

Devil  and  Dr.  Colville,  story  of  the,  140-142. 

Dickson,  John  M.,  papers  by,  Colville  family, 
139-145,  202-210. 

Dinnsennchus,  the,  cpioted,  224-226. 

Distillation,  illicit,  156. 

Donegall  Abbey,  191. 


'■43 


Douglas,   Rev.   Charles,    tombstone,    155  ;    vestry 

of,  155-157. 
Djwn    and    Connor   referred     to,    12S,    note    l  ; 

148,  217. 
Drew,  Thomas,  f.  r.  la.,  quoted,  2,  note  2. 
Dunseveric,  Teampull  Lastrac,  60-62  :  note.  228. 

EaMHAIN  MACHA,  220,  221. 

Earthworks,  early  Ulster,  notes  on,  see  Rathmore. 

Ecclesiastical    Antiquities    (Ree\es)    referred    to, 

86-91  ;  7jote,  91  ;  96,  148  ;  quoted,  176. 
E>?iania,  221-227. 
Enniskillen  Church,  chalice  of,  27. 
Epitaph  on  David  Bigger,  102,  104. 

,,        on  Charles  Douglas,  155. 
Ewart,  Lavens  Mathewson,  "  In  Memoriam,"  59, 

60;  references  to  his  hand-book,  51,  231. 

PAGAN,  James,  tomb  inscribed,  Isidore,  Rome, 

"  Fairy  Millstones,'"  82. 

Farset  river,  169. 

Fennell,  William  J.,  papers  by,  35-46,  60-62, 
146,  147,    175,' 176;  note  by,   51. 

Ferguson,  Sir  Samuel,  quoted,  84-86;  his  Sketches 
referred  to,  216. 

Fermanagh  articles,  gleanings  for  former,  27-34. 
,,  ancient    liistory    of,    at    Cheltenham, 

29-31. 
,,  Hume  and  Caldwell  families  in,  31    34. 

Fin  gal  la,  191. 

F'lax  antl  hemp,  tithes  on,  in  1704,  108,  109. 

Flint  axes  found,  6,  7. 
,,     flakes  found,  5,  7. 
,,     knife  found,  7. 
,,     scrapers  found,  6,  7. 

Forts  and  raths,  references  to,  Carngrany,  13 ; 
Glenavv,  13,  14;  Carnmavy,  13;  Rathbeg, 
16;   N'avan,  220,  221;  authorities  on,  224. 

Fotir  Afasters  quoted,  10,  12,  14,  15,  17,  19,  81, 
196,  221-226. 

Franciscan  friary  of  Creevelea,  the,  190-201  ; 
surroundings  of,  190-192;  conventual  build- 
ings, 192,  193;  mixed  styles  of  architecture, 
193;  church  and  chapel  details,  193-195; 
the  tower,  196-198;  cloister,  199,  200; 
desecration  of,   201. 

Franciscans  in  Montorio,  Spanish,  119,  120. 

,,  Irish,    in    Rome,    Isidoro,    121,    122; 

inscriptions  on  their  tombs,  1 23-1 38. 

Frauds  in  Belfast,"  some  early,  211-213. 

"  Freres,  The,"  Carrickfergus,  i. 

Friary,  see  Franciscan  of  Creevelea. 

Friars,  grey,  i,  2. 

GaL(jORM  Castle  and  the  devil,  141,  142;  202, 
note ;  "  Mount  Colville,"'  143,  145. 


Ciarstin,  John  Ribton,  li.D.,  i.s.a.,  t)ook  by, 
229,  230. 

Geographical  description  of  old  Belfisl,  sec 
l)ersonal  recollections. 

Gillhall  volunteers,  flag  of,  23,  24. 

( i  leanings  from  former  Fermanagh  articles,  27-34  ; 
Enniskillen  Church  chalice,  27;  Captain 
Browning's  arrest,  27,  28;  James  Corry, 
junior,  28;  Captains  MacCarinick,  Clarke, 
Browning,  28,  29;  Fermanagh  history  at 
Cheltenham,  29-31;  Hume  and  Caldwell 
families,   31-34;   errata,  addenda,   34. 

Glenavy,  burial  urn  found  in,  24-26. 

Glossary  of  Cormac  quoted,  83. 

Gordon,  Rev.  Alex.,  a.m.,  bazaar  book  by,  232. 

Grainger,  Canon,  quoted,  12,  13. 

Gravestones,  armorial  bearings  on,  42-45,  61,  62. 

Greencastle,  163. 

Hamilton,  Archibald,  query,  227. 

,,  MSS.,  extracts  from,  206. 

Haslam  manuscripts,  the,  20  22. 

,,       curate  of  Lisburn,  20,  21. 
Hassard  family,  no,  in. 
Hazelbank,  Belfast,  165,  167. 
Henry's  Upper  Loch  Erne,  references  to,  29,  30. 
Heron,  Prof.  J.,  d.D.,  book  by,  55. 
Hickey,  Anthony,  inscribed  tomb,  Rome,  126. 
Hill,  Rev.  George,  references  to,  139,  149. 

,,     Sir  Moyses,  206,  207. 
History  of  Presbvterianism  xt^^xx^Ci  X.O,  142,  148. 
Hughes,  Herbert,  note  by,  51. 
Hume  and  Caldwell  families,  31   34. 
Hyde,  Douglas,  i.i,.D.,  m.r.i.a.,  history  by,  231. 

IxiSHARGIE,  vestry  book  of,  96. 

Innocent  XL,  inscription  to,  on  the  consecration 

of  S.  Isidoro,  Rome,  136. 
Inscriptions,  monumental,  O'NeiU's  and   O'Don- 
nell's,    n6   n9;    in    Montorio,    \\c)-\2\  ;    in 
Isidoro,  123-138;   Colville  tombs,  Newtown- 
ards,  203,  207,  208;  Stavely,  216. 
Irish  bog  butter,  n2. 
,,     college,  Rome,  n5. 
,,     elk,  bone  of,  8. 

,,     in  R<jme  in  the  seventeenth  century,  _v,fif  Rome. 
,,     portraits  in  Rome,  n5, 
Isidoro,  sec  San  Isidoro. 

KnoWLES,  W.  J.,  M.R.I.A.,  pa]-ier  by,  63-67. 
Knowles,  James,  schoolmaster,  68. 

LaNCASTERIAN  Scho.il,  Belfast,  68. 
Larne,  river,  II  ;  English,  (J'Neill,  and  Ed.  Bruce 
at,  90. 
,,      bazaar  Ijook,  232, 


+4 


Layde.  Cushendall, old  church  of,  35-37  ;  M 'Arthur 
gravestone,  38  ;  church  interior,  38,  39;  church- 
yard, 41 ,  42  ;  MacDonnell  armorial  stones,  42- 
44;  the  high  cross,  44,45  :   Macauley  vauh,45. 

Leather  finds  in  jieat  bogs,  63-67. 

Lisburn  Catlie<h-a),  Haslam  first  curate  of,  20-22. 
,,        Fusileers"  badge,  94-96. 

Lr.'es  of  St.  I'atntk  quoted,  St. 

Louthiana,  tlie  author  of,  57,  58. 


Macau  LEY  vault,  45. 

MacCaghwell's,     Hugh,    career.    12S:     inscribed 

tomb,   Rome,    129. 
MacCarmick,  Captain  William,  28,  29. 
MacDonnell,  Alister,  General,  40,  44. 

inscriptions    in    Layde    churchyard, 

42-45. 
Sir  Randall,  149;  Randolph,  143. 
MacDonnelh  of  Antrim  referred  to,  148,  149. 
Macedon,  Belfast,  164,  165. 
Macha,  see  Ard  Macha. 

MacKenna,Rev.J.E.,  M.R.  I.A.,  paperby,  190-201. 
Maclelland  family,  58. 
MacQuillins  and  Rathmore,  17,  18. 
MacQuillin  family,  origin  of,  57,  143,  144,  149. 

,,  Rory  Oge,  143. 

Marriages,  old  register  of,  184-188. 
Marshall,  John  J.,  note  by,  ill,  112. 
McCall,  P.  J.,  book  by,  230. 
McChesney,  Joseph,  "  Li  Memoriam,"  179. 
McDonald,  Flora,  228. 
Mcllroy,  Archibald,  book  liy,  1 13. 
McKnight,  Rev.  IL,  Kilkeel  bazaar  book,  231. 
McNeill,  Rev.  Hugh,  and  Derrykeighan,  14S,  152, 

153,  157;  memorial  window  to,  157. 
Mc'^uillin,  see  MacOuillin. 
McTear,    Thomas,    papers    by,    67-80,    162    174, 

211-213;  referred  to,    176. 
Medals,   badges,  flags,   etc.,   of  Ulster  volunteers 

of  "82,   23,  24,  92-95;  flag,  23;  first  medal, 

92,    93;    Aughnacloy    battalion    medal,    94; 

Lisburn  fusileers,  94,  95;  Carrickfergus  volun- 
teer medal,  219. 
Meighan,  Clementina,  tomb,  Rome,  133. 

,,  Margaret  Horis,  tomb,  Rome,  135. 

Milchu's  house,  12,  13. 
Miscellanea,  51-53,  110-112,  177,  228. 

C)"Doran  tombstone,  Portmore  churchyard,  5  I . 

lind  of  a  coin,  51. 

Canoe  found  at  Portadown,  52. 

Vicars  of  Belfast — Downes  peerage,  52. 

Preservation  of  ancient  monuments  in  Ireland, 

52- 

Commercial  antiquaries,  53. 

Young  Con  O'Neale's  school  bill,  no. 

The  Hassard  family  of  l'"ermanagli,  iio. 


Miscellanea — eoutiiiiied.  , 

Rathmore  in  Moxlinne,  in. 

Irish  bog  butter,  1 12. 

The  migration  of  the  Ayrans,  112. 

The  old  parish  church  bell  of  Belfast,  177. 

Sir  Cahir  O'Doherty,  177  ;  see  also  144. 

Round  towers  of  Ulster,  etc.,  177. 

Spa-well  at  the  Blackstafl",  228. 

Teampull  Lastrac,  228. 
"  Monroe,  Dolly,"  beauty,  210. 
Monlgo7nery  Manuscripts  referred  to,  139,  215. 
Montorio,  see  San  I'ietro  in. 

Monument,  Robert  Anderson,  104  ;  Stavely,  216. 
Monuments,  inscribed  Irish,  in   Rome,  see  Rome. 

,,  preservation  of  ancient,  52. 

Moy-linne,  the  royal  residence,  see  Rathmore. 
MuckatiKire  monastery,  17. 
Murphy,  Bernard,  inscribed  tomb,  Rome,  132. 
•Mussen,  A.,  m.d.  ,  papers  by,  24-26,  94,  95. 

NaVAN,  The,  Armagh,  220-224. 

,,  fort,    Armagh,    220.    221  ;    authorities 

on,  224. 
Nelson,  Miss  E.  R.,  preservation  of  llaslam  MSS., 

20-22. 
Nevin,  John,  volunteer,  154. 

Newlownards,  Colville  inscrii>tinns,  203,  207,  208. 
Newtown  House,  145,  202. 
Niall  Oge,  224. 
Niven,  Richard,  book  by,  230. 
Notes,  see  Queries. 

UaTII   of  allegiance,  United  Irishmen's,  178. 
( )bituaries,  L.  M.  Ewart,  59,60  ;  J.  M'Chesney,  179. 
0"Connell,  Daniel,  monumental   inscriptit)n,   Irish 

college,  Rome,  n6. 
O'Doherty,  Sir  Cahir,  144,  147. 
O'Donnell's    inscribed    graves    in    tlie    Montorio, 

116-119. 
O'Donnells  and  O'Neills,  88,  90. 
O'Donoghue,  D.  J.,  note  by,  17S. 
Ogam    stones   in    the    parish    of   Connor,    47-50 ; 

another  reading  of,  105-108. 
O'Laverty,  Rev.  James,  I'.i". ,  m.r.i.,\.,  paper  by, 

81-83  ;  "^^odk  by,  229  ;  reference  to,  217. 
0'Mad<lin,  John,  inscribed  icnnb,  Rome,  125. 
O'Nally,  John,  inscribed  tomb,  Rome,  126. 
O'Neale's,  young  Con,  school  hill.  no. 
O'Neill,  Niall,  221,  223. 
O'Neills  and  O'Donnells,  88,  90. 
O'Neill's  coronation  chair,  169. 

Hugh,  inscribed  graves  in  the  Montorio, 
II6-II9;  swonl  and  piirtrait,  122. 
0'Ri:)urke,  Brjan,  200. 

,,  Owen,  ii)o.  iqi. 


545 


Pampooties,  65. 

Personal  recollections  of  the  beginninp;  of  the 
century  in  Belfast,  67-80,  162-174,  211-213  ; 
at  school,  68  ;  public  worship,  68,  69  ;  places 
of,  69  ;  social  conditions,  69 ;  vicious  and 
V)rutal  sports,  70;  nefarious  and  unlaw  i\il 
behaviour,  70;  lectures  by  Dr.  Vrc,  71.  72  ; 
coaching  and  Ijanditti,  71  ;  early  -hipprrs 
and  traders,  72-74 ;  buildings  and  streets, 
75-77,  mills,  78  ;  family  residences,  Shore 
Road,  79,  80,  162,  163,  165-168;  old  roads, 
164,  165  ;  population,  167  ;  rivers,  docks. 
]->ublic  buildings,  and  bridges,  168-170;  Bally- 
macarrett,  170;  meeting-houses,  170:  Joy's 
paper-mill,  171;  Castle  Place,  172:  town 
streets,  172-174;  new  channel,  174:  sume 
early  frauds,  21 1,  212  ;  smuggling,  212,  213. 

Plunkett,  Oliver,  115. 
Pockrich  family,  178. 
Poets,  Robert  Anderson,  100-104;  Belfast,  ;;  j/f  i, 

100. 
Porter,   Francis,   inscribed    toml)  in  Isidoro,    124. 

125- 

Portraits,  O'Neill's,  in  Rome,  122. 

Prehistoric  sites,  Belfast,  5-8. 

Presbyterian  Congregation,  Benvarden,  214. 

,,  ,,  of  Antrim,  early  regis- 

ter of  the,  180-190  ;  puzzling  orthography  in, 
181,  182,  1 86- 1 88;  specimen  baptismal 
entries,  182-184;  marriages,  184-188; 
ministers,  1S8,  1S9  ;  oflertories,  disburse- 
ments,   189;  mementoes,   /lo/e,    189,    190. 

Purcell,  Fr.,  200. 

Queries.      AVt-.f,  Queru-s,  a/ia  A'e/^//fs. 
Queries : 

Macquillin  family,  57. 

The  author  of  Louthiaiia,  57. 

The  arms  of  Carlingford,  5S. 

Duncairn  press,  58. 

The  Physico-Historical  Society,  58. 

.Maclelland,  58. 

Old  Belfast,  58. 

Burning,  58. 

Fourth   Presl)yterian  congregation  and  the 
Bryson  family,  1 12,  113. 

Archibald  Hamilton,  227. 
Replies  : 

Origin  of  the  MaccpiiUins,  57,  143,  144. 
'  John  Abernelhy,  a.m.,  58. 

Burning,  see  C.S.,  113. 

The  Physico-Historical  Society,  113.  227. 

RaTIIMORK,    the    Royal    residence    of,    9-19. 

84-91;  destroyed,  91;  note  on,  in,  112. 
Recollections  of  the  beginning  of  the  century  in 

Belfast,  see  Personal. 
Reeves,    Bishop,     references    to    his    works,    1 1  ; 

quoted,    17,  86,  87,  88,    163,    noie  2;    pajier 

by,  220-227;  catalogue  of  his  MSS.,  229. 


l-iegister,  early  Presbyterian,  s,-e  Presbyterian. 
Reniinisifines  of  Old  Belfast  referred  to,  22S. 
Reviews  of  books,  54-56,  113,  114.  229-232. 
'1  he  Stuaio,  54. 
Tlie  Scottish  Aii/i'/iia/  r,  54. 
fournal  of  the  A'i'i  a!  Soiitlx  ol  Aiitiijitayie^.  54. 
Early  /''orli/i,a.'ioi!<  in  SiOilaihi.  54. 
71ie  Celtic   Chuiclt  iu  Ireland,  55. 
The  Anliipiary,  55. 
The  Genealoi^ical  A/agazine,  55. 
Journal  of  the   Cork  Historical  and  Aichao- 

logical  Society,  55. 
The  Humouts  of  JJonega',  55. 
Chronicles  of  the  Kirkpatrick  Fainily,  56. 
Books  Printed  in    D 11  Id  in  in  the  S.venteenth 

Century,  56. 
Proceedings  of  the  Society  of  Antiquariatis  if 

Scotland,  56. 
Fate  of  the  Children  of  Uisneach,  56. 
The  Auld  Meelin'-hoose  Giccn,  1 13. 
J~>onaghclonev  Parish  Cliiirch,   ]l'ariiii;sto:i<n, 

114. 
In  the  Valleys  of  South  Doivn,  114. 
The  Ballast  Eve7tin^i;    I'elegraph   ow    Patrick 

McDowell,  R.A.,  229. 
The  A'ilkentiy  Moderator,  prose  ejiic  in,  229. 
77/1?  Derry  Standard  on  "  Banagher  Olens."' 

229. 
Greyabbey,  County  Dozvn,  monograph  ow,  229. 
Saint  Malachy,  229. 
Descriptive     Catalogue     of   a     Collection     of 

Manuscripts,   Ijy   Bishop   Reeves,   229. 
Songs  of  Erinn,  230. 
The  A>7t'  Ireland  Review,  230. 
Oiangeism  :  as  it  was  and  ts,  230. 
Highways    and     Byways     in    Donegal    and 

Antiim,  230,  231. 
A  Literary  History  of  Ireland,  231, 
The  Heart  of  Bslfast :  as  it  -vas  and  i^,  231. 
Bazaar    Books  :     Kilkeel,     Lame,     I'emple- 

patrick,  231,  232. 
Rhys,    Principal,   LL.D.,   k.s.a.,   referred    to,   47; 

quoted,  on  ogam  stones,  106,  107. 
"  Rivilins,"  65. 

Rome,  Irish  in,  in  the  sevenleentJT  century,  115- 
138;  Plunkett,  Colgnn,  Wadding,  115,  no; 
tombs  of  O'Neills  and  O'Donnclls,  inscrip- 
tions on,  116-119;  iiiscri]Hions  on  other 
tombs,  San  Pielro.  n9-i2i;  inscription^  in 
San  Isidoro's,  Alban  I)avvney,  124;  Francis 
Porter,  125,  120;  [ohn  O'Maddin  125; 
John  0"Nally,  126;  "Anthony  Hickey,  126; 
James  Taaffe,  127  ;  Hugh  MacCaghwell,  12S, 
129  ;  Luke  Wadding.  I29-I31  ;  James  Fagan, 
131  ;  Bernard  -Murphy,  132  ;  John  Creave, 
132,  133;  Thomas  and  Clementina  Meighan. 
133;  Maurice  Brehun,  133;  i!ona\enture 
Baron,  134;  Octavia  Catherine  Mary  Bryan. 
135;  Margaret  Horis  Meighan.  135  ;  inscribed 
monuments  in,  consecration  to  Innocent  XI.. 
136;  chapel  dedication,  130  ;  Isabella  Sherlock 
and  daughter,  137;  restoration,  13S. 
Ross,  poet-judge,  82,  S3. 
Round  lowers  of  I)  eland  qunied,  n. 
"  Route,  The,"  143,  149,  151. 
Presbytery,  215. 


246 


OAN  Isidoro,  Rome.  115,  121  :  Irish  Franciscans 

in,  121-123;  niominiental  inscriptions  therein, 

123-138. 
San   Pietro,   Rome,    115;    Irish    earls'    graves    in, 

I16-119;  erection  of,  119,  120. 
Savages,  the,  referred  to,  i,  7iole  2. 
Scott,    Rev.    Charles,    a.m.,    ])a]:)er    liy,    95-99  ; 

notes  by,  52,  112. 
Scott,  W.  A.,  A.R.I.,  B.A.,  paper  by,  190-201. 
Seiuhus  y)/^r arranged,  82,  S3. 
Sherlock,   Isabella,    inscribed    monument,    Rome, 

137. 
Shore  Road,  Belfast,  79,  So.  162-16S. 
Shoes,  leather,  in  peat  bogs,  63-65. 
Silva  Cai/./Zca  quoted ,  9,  10,  12-17. 
Sites,  prehistoric,  near  Belfast,  5-8  ;  flint  flakes, 

found,   5,  7  ;  scrapers,  axes,  6,  7  ;   cores,   7  ; 

knife,  7  ;  arrow-head,  7  ;  bone,  8. 
Six  Mile  Water,  11,  17. 
Skerry  and  Racavan,  140. 
Smith,  Rev.  W.  S.,  paper  by,  180-190. 

,,       T.,  note  by,  228. 
Smuggling  in  Belfast,  212,  213. 
Society,  Physico-Historical,  113,  225. 
Souterrain,  Ardtole,  146,  147. 

,,  Carncomb,    ogam    stones   in,  47,  48  ; 

105-108. 
Stavely,  Rev.  William  John,  216. 
Sterling,   Robert,  minister,  159;  tombstone,   160, 
Stewarts  of  Balliutoy  referred  to,  148. 
Stewart,  Alex.,  Londonderry  family,  20S  ;  Rolierf. 

207. 
St.  Nicholas  Church,  Carrickfergus,  2. 
Stones,  ogam,  discovery  of,  47-50;   readings  on, 

105-108. 
St.  Patrick,  a  captive,  12  ;  his  journey,  13  ;  story  of 
Eclain,  13. 

,,  and  ancient  laws,  82. 

Subscribers  to  Ulster  Jour)ial  of  Arthtcolo,i:;y,  233. 
Swanston,  William,  f.g.s.  ,  paper  by,  1-4. 
Sword,  Hugh  O'Neill's,  in  Isidoro,  122. 

IaAFFE,  James,  inscribed  tomb,  Rome,  127. 
Talbot,  Richard,  Earl  of  Tyrconnel,  205. 
Taylor,  Bishop  Jeremy,  188. 
Teampull  Lastric,   Dunseveric,  60-62  ;   details  of 

church,  61  ;    inscribed    gravestones,  61-62  ; 

note  on,  228. 
Templecorran,  Brice  tombstone,  232. 
Thomson,  Hugh,  tiook  illustrations  b)',  230,  231. 


Throne  House,  the,  163,  164. 
Tithes  on  hemp  and  flax,  loS,  109 
Tol)acco  smuggling,  212,  213. 
Toml)s  in  Rome,  see  Rome. 
Tombstones,  Brice,  232. 

,,  Colville,  203,  207,  208. 

,,  Kennedy,  150,  155. 

,,  Sterling,  160. 

Tripartite  Life  of  St.  Patrick  quoted,  12,  61,  81. 


S9, 


note 
90. 


UlADH,  kings  of.    17,    18,   87,89;  battles, 

221. 
Ulster  Journal  of  Archrcology  referred   to,   I , 
1,17;  quoted 
,.  ,,  ,,  sul)scribers  to,  : 

I'lster,  family  of  Colville,   139-145,  :02-2lO 
,,        volunteers  of '82,   flag  of,  23.  24;  mec 
92-95  ;    first    regiments,    92  ;    Can 
fergus  volunteer  medal,  219. 
United  Irishmen,  oath  of  allegiance,  178. 
Ure's  Dr.,  lectures,  71,  72. 
Urns,  burial,  found  in  Glenavy,  74-26 
Ubsher,  .Vrchbishop,  referred  to,  224. 


V  ESTRV  book  of  the  united  parishes  of  Bally- 
walter,  Ballyhalbert,  and  Inishargie,  in  the 
Ards,  1706.  95,  96. 

View  of  Carrickfergus,  unpublished,  1-4. 

Vinycomb,  John,  M.K.  i.A.,  l^ook  by,  231. 

I'^ohmleers^  Companion  quoted,  95. 

\'olunleers,  Ulster,  '82,  flag  of,  23,  24  ;  first  regi- 
ments of,  92,  93  ;  Aughnacloy  battalion 
medal,  94  ;   Lisburn  fusileers"  badge,   94-96. 

Wadding,  Luke,  115;  bones  in  Isidoro,  122; 

his  history  and  life,    122,   123,  130,  131  ;  his 

tomb,  129,  130. 
Wakeman,  VV.  J.,  note  by,  52. 
Walker,  tieorge,  202. 
Ward,  Isaac  W.,  note  by,  177. 
Waring  manuscript,  108,  109. 
Webb,  Mrs.,  on  Fiacha,  quoted,  18. 
West  family,  query,  17S. 
Whiteabbey,     the     ruins     of     the,     Carnmoney, 

175,  176;  referred  to,  165    167. 
Whitehouse,  164  ;  upper,  167. 
Window,  memorial,  Derrykeighan,  157. 


Yeomen,